


open the door

by raekentheory



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Resurrection, Slow Burn, Werecats, long lost sister
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:32:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14029179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raekentheory/pseuds/raekentheory
Summary: After the war, things settle in Beacon Hills, and Liam is left to watch over the town with the help of his two best friends, a former hunter-turned-ally, and a grumpy chimera.Then, someone from his past surfaces, bringing along a group of supernaturals they are wholly unprepared for.A week later, five dead residents come back to life, completely unharmed.





	1. reunited

**Author's Note:**

> Welllll. This was not supposed to be the first in-canon long fic I posted. This is like... my accidental monster baby. It started as an idea and it just kept growing and now it won't leave me _alone_ so here I am, jumping the gun.
> 
> Strap in, because this is going to be a long, bumpy ride. 
> 
> Title from the lyrics of _O Death_ , specifically the Jen Titus version. ;)

It’s been 6 weeks and 4 days since the war ended, and for the most part, life has returned to normal in Beacon Hills. Slowly, they’ve picked up the pieces in the aftermath of near annihilation, together.

The first week had been the best of Liam’s life. The school had been closed, a decision Mrs Martin had made following the chaos, to give students time to process and heal, and to give the McCall Pack a well-deserved break. Together.

There’d been movie nights and beach days and catching up on all their time apart. They’d been a strong, united front. A family, more than ever. And even though Jackson constantly managed to set Liam or Stiles off, he’d still felt that thrum deep in his bones that signified _pack_.

It hadn’t all been rest and relaxation, of course. There’d been some work, mostly for him and Scott and their parents. With the curtains pulled aside, and knowledge of the supernatural out there, in the town, people had wanted answers. Had wanted to be heard, and kept in the loop. So with the Mayor, they’d come to an agreement moving forward.

Mason’s mother had suggested a council be made, of adults who were aware and willing to help (most of whom already did), who could work with and support Liam and his friends after the seniors left.

Sheriff Stilinski to represent the police force, one he and Parrish could now train and teach about the supernatural, and how to handle them. It meant that when trouble came calling, they’d have the police to back them up.

Melissa to represent the hospital, but also Liam’s stepfather David, who finally had answers to all his questions about the strange things that happened in his workplace. The two were given a wing of the hospital to manage, where they could deal with supernatural-related injuries explicitly.

Two other surprises had come in the form of both Liam and Mason’s mothers. It had been Camille’s idea, so obviously she wanted to be involved, and Jenna, well… the moment Liam had told her what he was, that they were going into hiding because people in town wanted him dead, it had ignited a fire that burned brighter than any other. There was simply no keeping the woman out of it. Especially when her position as a social worker made her very good at helping kids left orphaned or families without homes post-war.

Deaton and Argent offered the council everything they had on the supernatural, and though he was hesitant at first, Argent agreed to work with the police department too. To help Parrish and the Sheriff with their task force. And after some convincing, Deaton had brought his sister in. Morell had been skeptical at first, but with Deucalion gone, she had nothing left. So with her brother, and Argent, and funding from Mrs. Hewitt, she’d ripped Eichen apart and stripped out the rot that had been plaguing it for years in an attempt to make it a better place for humans and supernaturals alike.

And finally, rounding off the council, with the interests of their school at heart, had come Mrs Martin and surprisingly, Finstock. He’d admitted to figuring things out years prior—after all, he had lacrosse players that were just way too damn good to be human. Some of whom talked about their supernatural problems on his bench, within earshot of him, _constantly._ He’d just always thought Scott and Stiles were crazy, that’s all. He’d never really believed it until he’d seen Jackson and Ethan turned to stone in his locker room.

Eleven people, all with different resources and means to help protect Beacon Hills. To make it a safer place for humans and supernaturals alike. To give Liam and the pack support once Scott left.

Because he finally did leave, much to Liam’s chagrin. They all did.

Stiles was the first, of course, with Lydia in tow. They’d headed out at the end of the two weeks, bound for Washington. Lydia planned to fly out to MIT a few days later from there, and everyone had gotten the sense that they’d needed a weekend to themselves after nearly dying.

Jackson and Ethan had joked about tagging along and taking them out on what probably would’ve been an awkward double date, but in the end had flown back to London the next day. Still, they’d stuck around long enough for one last lacrosse scrimmage between supernaturals, told Scott and his beta not to be a stranger the next time Beacon Hills was under siege, and gone on their way.

Derek had been next, bound for South America. He’d grumbled and complained, but still agreed to let Peter tag along, seeing as his uncle had very little left in Beacon Hills. The two had given Liam their keys to the Loft, their numbers, and Derek had left him with an emergency credit card. Just in case.

Surprising the rest of the pack, Malia had chosen to go with them. After all, she wanted to travel and see the world, and the moment the Hale boys had mentioned that their road trip would involve reuniting with Cora, the one family member she hadn’t met, she’d jumped at the opportunity and chose to forgo her trip to France.

Which left Scott to say his goodbyes to the remainder of his pack, alone. His speech had been heartfelt, full of hugs, and he’d told Liam he was the best beta he could’ve ever asked for. That even without the council in place, and the city’s new countermeasures, he was leaving Beacon Bills in the hands of the best person capable of looking after it. It was a lot of pressure for the stand-in alpha, but Scott had no doubt he was more than capable.

Especially with such good people behind him.

Mason had started learning from Deaton in their off weeks. Much like Stiles before him, Mason had become the core researcher and Deaton planned on giving him more than just supernatural knowledge—but the means to defend himself, too. For all those times a metal bat failed the human.

Though they both knew Corey would look after him, and wouldn’t let anything happen to his boyfriend. Given that his chimera abilities weren’t as strong or as dangerous as their werewolf ones, he’d started working with Parrish, learning how to fight. He’d found something in himself during that hospital fight, and he’d wanted to shed that weak, quiet persona and be someone that could throw himself into battle alongside Liam if need be.

Besides, they already had one shy, quiet member of their pack, and he was human. The newest addition, Nolan. Though Mason and Corey were skeptical, both Liam and Melissa vouched for him with Scott, explaining that he’d helped at the very end, that he’d turned on the other hunters and wanted to make up for all the wrongs he’d caused and committed. He wanted to do better, to _be_ better and slowly, they were letting him. Trust was an easy thing to break, and most days Liam still wanted to punch him for what he’d done but… he was trying.

After all, if someone like Theo could come out the other side of redemption after all the things he’d done, then why couldn’t the young hunter?

Though Nolan wasn’t nearly as much of an enigma as the chimera. He went to school with them, co-captained the lacrosse team, he had no other friends. It made sense that he wanted to make peace given that they had to keep coexisting for at least another year.

But Theo… Liam wasn’t sure why he stayed. After the hunters cleared out, he’d expected him to take off. Scott had once and for all given him his blessing and told him his life was his own before leaving for UC Davis, but rather than take off and go live it… he’d remained in Beacon Hills.

He had no idea what the older boy did with his time. He’d seen him around town a couple times the first week after the seniors had cleared out, and by the third sighting it was obvious to Liam that Theo was staying in town (given that he’d been at the laundromat across from Mason’s favourite coffee shop), he’d approached him.

It had started out simple—he’d invited him to a pack meeting. And despite his complaints that he _wasn’t_ , he’d still shown up. After that it had been movie nights, or video game sessions, or pairing up for patrol in the preserve. Slowly, bit by bit, he’d brought Theo into their group. He’d befriended him.

Mason was just as unsure about Liam’s decision to include him as he had been about Nolan, but it hadn’t lasted long. After all, he’d been at the hospital, too. He’d seen what Theo had done. He’d seen the change, same as Liam, that made Theo someone they could rely on.

Someone they could _trust_.

Someone they could spend hours trying to beat at Street Fighter or Call of Duty and end up losing miserably against.

Seriously, it was almost _unfair_ how badly he kicked their asses. At basically everything. With minimal effort and a semi-bored smirk on his face. Liam had broken at least two controllers since they’d started hanging out. The third Theo had broken on his own playing Mario Kart, the one and only game he couldn’t beat Mason at. The human was… scary good at it.

He only wished it were easy to get him to open up. Liam felt a familiar thrum deep in his chest that signified _pack_ when Theo was around, whether they were with the others or on their own, but it was smaller, fainter. He didn’t know what it meant, but it had been growing steadily the more time they spent hanging out. And it wasn’t the only thing he noticed.

He noticed the bags under Theo’s eyes, and the way some nights he looked worn out. He got tired far quicker than he should for someone with supernatural healing, especially one that mainlined coffee like he did. On more than one occasion, Liam’s mother had gotten a good look at him and all but bullied him into staying over for a hearty, home cooked meal and rest. He always looked incredibly hesitant and embarrassed, neither of which were emotions Liam was used to seeing on the chimera, but always _always_ caved.

After all, it was hard to say no to Jenna once she put her hands on her hips and gave someone that _look_. The one that meant it really was in your best interests to say yes, or else.

Liam sort of wishes it were genetic. Because asking Theo what’s wrong really doesn’t get him anywhere. _Worried about me, Little Wolf? That’s cute._

He’s pretty sure he’s heard the phrase _what I do on my own time is my business_ and _you’re not my keeper, Dunbar_ enough times to have memorized every inflection and tone Theo says them in. All because he’s just curious to know _where_ the chimera goes when he’s not with them. All it does is piss him off when the chimera dodges the question or assures him he’s fine.

And thinking about it does him no favours, either, considering he finds himself scowling at the very thought of the frustrating chimera.

“Alright, _fine_ ,” comes an exasperated sigh, snapping Liam from his inner spiral. His eyes flicker left to see Theo tapping his fingers against the steering wheel and staring at him. “Yes.”

“Huh?” Liam blinks. He notices they’re stopped at a light, and the chimera’s face is pulled into a tight frown. He looks annoyed. “Yes to what?”

He shakes his head and presses on the gas, moving them forward as it turns green. “You asked me to be part of your stupid group costume next week, and I said no like, six times. But seeing as you’ve been fucking _moping_ about it for the last twenty minutes…” He throws Liam a look again as he turns the next corner onto the werewolf’s street. “I’m sick of it. So _fine_. I’ll do it.”

Instantly, delight flares in Liam’s chest. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Theo rolls his eyes, letting out a small huff. “But I’m not doing any work. It was your idea, so you’re finding the outfit.”

“Technically it was Mason’s…” Liam points out, then winces as Theo growls. His arms come up at his sides, palms flat. “Alright! Relax! I’ll do it.”

His eyes return to the road as they slow down, coming up on Liam’s house. He frowns, because normally Theo pulls in to drop him off, but there’s a second car in the driveway that isn’t his dad’s, so he can’t. He opts to ignore it, turning to look at Theo as the older boy puts the truck into park.

“Does this mean you’re finally going to get caught up?” Liam grins. He’s been trying to get Theo into _Stranger Things_ for weeks, and not just because Mason had come up with the brilliant idea of basing a group costume around the main characters. It’s just a really good show, one he keeps telling the chimera he’d enjoy.

“No,” the chimera bites, snatching Liam’s backpack off the backseat and dumping it into his lap. The werewolf lets out a _Buh!_ at the impact. The damn thing is filled with textbooks, and they’re _heavy_. “Now get out. You’ve got company, and I’ve got places to be.”

Liam scowls. “Like?”

He knows from the matching scowl on Theo’s face that he’s not getting an answer tonight. Liam blows an annoyed sigh through his nose, grips his bag tightly in his hands, and swings out of the truck. He tosses Theo a considering look over his shoulder before slamming the door shut and stomping off towards his house. _Asshole_.

A moment later, the pickup roars to life behind him and peels off the pavement, down the road, leaving Liam alone. As he marches sullenly up the driveway, he examines the mystery car. Slate grey Camry, California plates. Innocent enough, except for the barcodes lining the rear and front windshields, as well as the driver’s side. His grandmother has come to visit from Massachusetts enough for him to recognize it as a rental.

But she’s too old and too blind to drive, so that rules her out.

Liam frowns, trying to think of other options the rest of the way up the driveway and into the house. He supposes it could just be one of his mother’s clients or co-workers, but it’s nearly dinnertime on a Friday, so he feels that’s unlikely. Plus, as he closes the door behind him and toes off his shoes, he picks up three heartbeats in the living room, instead of two. One of which is beating rather nervously.

It’s enough to set him on edge.

Slowly, he sets his backpack on the floor gently, and inches down the hall.

“Liam, honey, is that you?” Jenna calls. There’s something off about her voice, which means hers is the erratic heartbeat. The hair on the back of his neck rises.

“Yeah!” He says back, keeping his tone neutral. “It’s me.”

His nose sets to work trying to identify the intruders. There’s the smell of sea salt and something gentler, something earthy and herb-like. It also sort of smells like wet cat, which causes his nose to wrinkle. Ever since being turned, he’s a hard time with felines.

“Can you—Can you come here a minute?” Jenna speaks up again. Liam pads into the living room a little quicker.

And comes to an immediate, abrupt halt.

His mother is standing by their fireplace on the far right-hand side. The TV on the wall behind her is on, but muted. Liam locks eyes with her instantly, and sees that hers are red-rimmed. She's been crying. Her hair sits atop her head in a messy bun, and she looks frazzled.

Across the room stands a young woman who can’t be that much older than him. Her brown hair is choppy and short, cut just above her shoulders. Her black jeans have holes in the knees and she’s got a leather vest on over a faded grey t-shirt. If it weren’t for the warm smile on her lips, Liam thinks she might look like trouble. Even with it, she sort of does.

He’s struck with a sort of familiarity, and there’s an ache in his chest as he sucks in a breath. More of the same scents from the front hall with something lighter underneath, something like spring rain and that floral crap Jenna puts in the bathroom. Somewhere far in the back of his mind, the smell brings up memories of Disney trips and blanket forts and a little girl pushing a pudgy baby on a swing. They're blurry, and he can't quite make out the details, but he remembers.

His breathing quickens, because he’s sure _he’s_ sure he knows who this is, but he can’t—

There’s movement behind the girl as someone gets to their feet, stepping into his line of sight.

And knocking the breath entirely from his lungs.

He looks older than Liam remembers, but mostly the same. Scruffy beard, combed dark hair, a half-smile that sets the werewolf’s blood boiling almost immediately… and the very same blue eyes that Liam sees in the mirror every day. The eyes of his father.

The man has the audacity to look _sheepish_ when he speaks. “Hullo, Liam.” The beta hates the way his name sounds in his father's accent.

“ _Todd_ ,” Liam says, voice tight. He sees the man almost flinch at the name, and he ignores it in favour of looking at his mother. “What’s going on?”

“Liam.” Jenna’s lower lip wobbles, but she does her best to look reassuring. “This is…”

The girl steps forward, blocking his— _their_ father from sight. She outstretches a hand, the smile on her lips turning far more hesitant. Now that she’s closer, Liam can see her eyes more clearly. They’re the same shade of green as Jenna. As their mother.

“This is Lyana,” Jenna says softly. Her voice cracks.

“My sister,” Liam nods, and her hand is warm as it wraps around his.


	2. what's new, pussycat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to Cal and Sunny for helping me with Scottish for the Canadian 101 ❤

“Hullo, Liam,” Lyana says, and he frowns. She didn’t have an accent when they were kids, and so his name sounds a little off in her mouth, but not the way it did with their father. It’s a little less pronounced. “It’s been a long time.”

“It—it has,” he nods, swallowing the lump in his throat. He has no idea what to say, or where to begin. It’s been thirteen years, after all. He’d been just barely four years old when they’d left, so his brain struggles to connect the face of the young woman before him with the little girl tucked away in the back of his blurry, childhood memories. “I—What are you—How—”

“Son, maybe you should sit down.” He can see Todd leaning around Lyana to address him, that same half-smile still curving his lips. It looks patronizing, and sets a rage boiling in Liam’s chest. It surfaces from deep down, where it’s rattled around the box he locked it away in for years.

He’s thought about this moment countless times before. He’s thought of what he’s wanted to say to the man who helped give him life and then gave up four years into it. His fingers shake, itching to grow claws and wipe the look from his face.

He counteracts it by balling his hands into fists.

“Maybe you should f—” he starts, barest hint of a growl rumbling in his chest.

“Todd,” Jenna says a little louder than necessary, clapping her hands together. All eyes turn to her, and Liam sees the strain in her smile. It looks mostly friendly, but it’s pulled tight at the corners, and it doesn’t fully reach her eyes. “Why don’t we let them catch up for a bit? You can come help me figure out dinner, since I don’t know what you two eat. Diets, and all that.”

Liam watches the man frown, brows pulled so deep he looks a bit offended. “I’d like to speak with—”

“It wasn’t really a request,” she points out and throws him a dark look, filled with intent. Liam almost winces, because that is _definitely_ the look he gets when he’s done something stupid. Todd’s mouth snaps shut, and quietly, he shuffles out after her. Liam doesn’t even glance his way, pointedly ignoring the look his birth father gives him as he slips past.

“Not like I have anything to say to you anyway,” Liam mutters under his breath, glaring at the back of Todd’s head. When he turns back to face his sister, her lips are pursed, and she’s frowning. Liam winces, realizing that she probably heard that, and that’s… likely a little insensitive. After all, she probably has a far fonder opinion of their father, having grown up with him.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, looking at his feet and scuffing one into the carpet.

“What for?” She asks, tone patient. Liam looks up and sees her face has softened into something understand.

He shrugs. “I shouldn’t be rude, he’s still… well, he’s your dad.”

“Aye,” Lyana nods, sinking back onto the couch and patting the seat next to her. Liam flops into it with an awkward smile. “But I understand he’s not yours.”

Liam blinks at her, startled. It earns him a laugh, light and twinkling. “You do?”

“I had eight years with him before we left you, Liam. You barely had four,” she says, and his heart aches at the echo of a memory. It’s hard to picture, since it’s so long ago it’s a little fuzzy in his mind, but he remembers hurting. He remembers crying for days afterwards, and climbing in with his mom at night when he woke shouting for people who weren’t there anymore.

Those feelings might’ve become anger and resentment once he was old enough to understand, but he’d been heartbroken about it once. Where Lyana was concerned, he still is. Liam rubs his hands on his knees, trying to settle his earlier rage. He doesn’t want to broadcast any of that in his body language.

Her hand covers his and squeezes reassuringly, as if she can sense it anyway.

“I was angry with him too,” Lyana whispers, and his gaze snaps up to meet hers. She looks sad. “He’d taken me away from you, from mum. For a long while, I hated him. I spent months begging to come back. Scotland was dreary and wet and lonely.”

“I hear it’s beautiful,” Liam points out, and she smiles.

“It is, but what’s the point if you’ve no one to share it with?” Her smile turns wistful. “I stopped asking, eventually, but I was a hell of a child. Still, he raised me and cared for me. And then, some years ago—I was a wee bit younger than you… I had an accident.”

“An accident?” Liam frowns, heart skipping a beat. He thinks of how awful it might’ve been, had something happened and he’d never know. He gets cards twice a year, for his birthday and Christmas, but otherwise… well, communication has never been a thing for them. “Why… why didn’t I know?”

Lyana’s face scrunches up, looking pained. “Da... He said it was better. It had been so long, and there wasn’t anything you and mum could’ve done. Besides, you had your own life. Your own family.”

 _You’re my family_ , he wants to say. But the words don’t come out. Instead, he just stares as she continues on.

“He brought me to a friend of his, a specialist in rather unique injuries, like mine. She helped heal me, and I suppose it brought us closer together.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” He asks, then winces. He _wants_ to know more about her life, about their years apart. What’s the matter with him?

Lyana tilts her head at him. “Because I want you to know he’s been good to me. You might resent him for leaving, for not being your father, but I wanted you to know he’s not complete shit, I guess. I’m sorry he didn’t give you that chance.”

“I’m sorry, too.” Liam can’t help but laugh at her honesty. “You’re not quite what I expected.”

“Neither are you,” she grins, bumping her shoulder with his.

“So… why now?” He says, keeping their fingers linked together as he drags his legs up onto the couch, folding them beneath him as he turns to face her. Liam shifts a bit to get comfortable, and then watches her mirror the position far more smoothly than him, with an almost feline-like grace. “Not once, in all the years since you left have you come back to Beacon Hills. Why now?”

Lyana sighs, the look on her face turning cautious, hesitant. “We heard about what happened.”

Liam stiffens, heart skipping nervously. “What… happened?”

“Yeah,” she nods, chewing on her bottom lip. Her tone is tentative, a little nervous. “The hostage thing? Which is mad, by the way.”

It had been impossible to keep the hunter war a complete secret from the outside world. After all, Monroe and Gerard had closed off the town for nearly a month, and that wasn’t the kind of thing that just went unnoticed. But they’d been careful, in the months since. The council had crafted a story about a town zealot who had been hungry for power, who’d snapped and hired a mercenary group to back her. In some ways, it was far easier to be known as the town who’d been held hostage by terrorists than deal with anyone else thinking they were harboring monsters who needed to be hunted to extinction.

Either way, with a couple years of strange deaths and strings of horrible murder, and now this… visitors steered clear of Beacon Hills.

Well, for the most part, apparently.

“How did you even find out…?” He frowns. “All the way in Scotland?”

Lyana raises a brow. “The internet?” She chuckles, shaking her head, and then looks down at their intertwined hands. “I uh—I tried to get him to come sooner, actually. As soon as I found out. But he… didn’t want to get involved.”

Liam snorts, even though his heart’s pounding in his chest. He’d been terrified enough about his parents while they were at war, especially when they’d been hiding out. He’d spent so many nights afraid that he’d wake up to find they’d been taken from their home, or worse, all because of him. Because of what he was. “You really didn’t.”

Her eyes flicker past him, towards the hall, and she leans closer, dropping her voice. “I called the day I found out, when he told me no.”

Liam chokes. “You what?”

“I needed to know,” Lyana says, and she looks almost pained. “I needed to know you and mum were safe.”

His eyes widen, and he can feel his heart in his throat. How didn’t he know about this? “Mom never… she never told me anything.”

Lyana averts her gaze, looking almost guilty.  He hears her heartbeat speed up, just a little. “That’s because I didn’t speak to her. It was a man that picked up.”

“You… you talked to my dad?” Liam whispers, and he winces almost immediately when she looks back at him with wide green eyes. “To—to David? Why didn’t _he_ say anything?”

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Because I asked him not to.”

“But _why_?” His voice cracks. He wants to care that he sounds like a whiny child, but he can’t bring himself to. He doesn’t understand, and this is all too much for his brain to process at once.

“If he’d told you a Scottish girl claiming to be your sister had called after all these years, asking how you were… while all of that was going on,” Lyana says, chewing on her bottom lip. “Would you have believed him?”

Liam thinks about it carefully. He remembers how on edge they’d all been, how cautious they’d been with information. Telling his parents he was a werewolf had been hard enough on him. He thinks that if his stepfather had told him Lyana had called… he might’ve thought it was a trick from the hunters. Someone who’d dug up information on him to use against the pack and his family. He’s not sure what he would’ve done, but he definitely wouldn’t have thought it was real.

“No,” he finally says, voice barely above a whisper. He clears his throat, this time speaking louder, ensuring she can hear him. “No, I probably wouldn’t.”

“Exactly,” Lyana huffs, pulling away from him to cross her arms. “So I had to see for myself.”

The stubborn set to her jaw is familiar enough that it brings a smile to his lips, and a laugh bubbling from deep in his chest. There’s an excitement thrumming through him, zipping around beneath his skin now that he’s had time to process that his sister really is sitting in front of him, after all these years.

“I still can’t believe you did,” Liam says, and it’s only a moment before she’s mirroring his grin, too. “I just—how are you here? How long are you here for? Don’t you have school or work or…” He inhales deeply, his laughter turning shaky and stuttered with his nerves backing it. “I have so many questions.”

“Good,” she grins, clapping her hands together. “Because so have I.”

And so it floods out of them, after that, like a broken dam. Question for question, working their way forward to the present from that awful day thirteen years ago.

Liam tells her about Mason, the best friend he made when he’d started preschool. About how with him and their mother, he wasn’t so lonely. The ache she’d left behind began to heal, slowly. He tells her about how David came into their lives, and how that helped, too. It’s a little more difficult to talk about, because he feels sort of awkward, but she squeezes his hand and tells him she’s excited to meet the man, and that soothes away any doubt he has.

He tells her how he taught him lacrosse to channel his abundant energy, how he helped get him into Devenford, and how kind and caring he was when Liam got kicked out. He tells her about making friends at Beacon Hills High alongside Mason, and being brought into a pack of friends a little older than him (though he doesn’t tell her _why_ ), and promises to introduce her to his smaller group on the weekend.

In turn, Lyana tells him her love for gymnastics, and her innate talent for it. He isn’t the least bit surprised—he remembers how she loved climbing trees as a little girl, and doing cartwheels across the backyard. She explains that she’d been decent at it, enough that she’d been on the fast track to being considered for the National or even Olympic team before her accident. She still hasn’t explained _what_ happened, and Liam doesn’t push. He knows she’ll tell him in time.

After her accident, she hadn’t turned away from gymnastics entirely, merely changed her focus. She’d gone into kinesiology, instead. She’d started training the girls at her gymnastics club, and interning at a physiotherapist’s on weekends.

She also tells him about Max, a young boy with no family and little to his name that she’d met through a… mentoring program, of sorts. He’s barely younger than Liam, by a year or two, and though it had been such a long time since she’d left Beacon Hills… he’d reminded Lyana of her brother, in a way. It had helped soothe the wound leaving had carved in her heart all those years ago, and reminded her that out there, somewhere in California, was Liam. With answers to questions she’d spent more than half her life asking.

It stings a little, thinking of Lyana looking after someone else like a brother. But then he thinks of how selfish that is, considering this kid doesn’t have anyone, and how he himself bonded with the older pack like siblings. Liam tells his sister he’s happy for her, and hopes that one day, he’ll be able to meet this Max.

By the time they’re done (and really, they’ve barely scratched the surface), Jenna’s calling them for dinner. They’re in the middle of a story about Liam’s awful, embarrassing first encounter with Hayden since breaking her nose in the sixth grade, and tumble to the dining table, laughing. It’s enough to distract Liam, and for a moment, he’s forgotten that they’ve got a fourth person there, too.

He skids to a stop in the doorway to the dining room, spotting Todd in _his_ usual seat. Lyana slides into the one opposite him. He has an odd thought that it’s where Theo normally sits when he comes for dinner on Saturdays (and most days ending in y, to be honest.) Jenna’s humming away in the kitchen, swirling a spoon around a pot on the stove, and looks up to see him.

“Liam, honey, could you give me a hand?”

 _I thought Todd was helping_. He bites his tongue to keep from saying it out loud, and shuffles into the kitchen, aware of their eyes at his back.

As he nears her, his mother points towards the cabinet where she keeps the plates. It’s routine by now, so he’s not sure why she still gives him instructions. He always helps her plate the food while his father sets the table. Liam’s just passing her when she whispers, mid-hum, “David will be home shortly. I’ll head him off at the door and explain—you get a chair from the study and sit next to Lyana.”

He pauses only briefly on the way to the cupboard, shoulders tightening. But then he smiles, nerves bleeding out of him because _of course_ his mother has thought about this already, and has found a solution so he doesn’t have to sit next to Todd. And she’s told him in the best way possible—at a volume only his werewolf hearing could pick up.

They’re on the third plate when the front door opens, Lyana chattering away at the table about her friend Cait pulling a stunt at a concert that had nearly gotten them kicked out. Liam and Jenna both pause, spool full of spaghetti halfway to the plate.

“Jenna? Liam?” David calls, and the werewolf hears him drop his briefcase to the ground as he closes the front door, like always. “We have company?”

He exchanges a look with his mother, and then they’re in motion. “I’ll be right back,” Liam says, slipping from the room. As he heads for the study, he focuses his hearing on the front door.

“How was your day, dear?” His mother’s voice is nervous, a slightly pitch higher than normal.

“Rough. Surgery for eight hours this morning, and a… special case this afternoon,” David replies, and there’s a light peck as he probably leans down to kiss her cheek. “Were we expecting?”

“No,” Jenna says, chuckling. It sounds slightly off. “We certainly weren’t.”

As his fingers wrap around the back of the chair he’s come to collect, his mother’s voice drops off entirely. Liam frowns, his face heating as he realizes she’s chosen to whisper low enough that he can’t hear her from down the hall. _Rude._

He makes his way back to the kitchen slowly, chair held lightly between his fingers. He has the sense to use his whole hand by the time he crosses the threshold, and slows his pace to the table. David’s in the kitchen now, Jenna hovering at his side, hand softly curled around his arm.

His mouth is open, and he’s blinking at them like he can’t quite believe they’re sitting at his dining room table. Liam knows the feeling. He can hear David’s quickened heartbeat, and is sure if werewolf hearing extended to gears turning in one’s head, he’d be able to hear his stepfather figure out what to say.

Thankfully, Liam doesn’t let him suffer long. “Dad,” he says softly, and his gaze snaps over to him. So does Todd’s, but Liam elects to ignore it. “It’s okay. Lyana told me.”

“Told you what?” Jenna frowns, looking between her husband and son. “Boys?”

“Take a seat,” Liam grins, and he watches the tension bleed from his stepfather’s shoulders. “Mom and I will finish serving, and then we can all explain, yeah?”

“Or you could explain _while_ we do that,” Jenna points out, but David merely drops a kiss to her cheek once more and heads for his seat. “No? Boys?”

Liam shakes his head, patting his mom on the arm and picking up his discarded plate. At the table, David stiffly shakes Todd’s hand, and then smiles and relaxes into Lyana’s greeting. Jenna stands there as they start small talk, and Liam finishes plating all the food.

“Seriously?” She pouts. “You’re both going to ignore me? I’m trying not to be offended.”

“Mom,” Liam laughs, hands full of plates as he nudges her towards her spot. “It’s like three minutes. Relax.”

“Easy for you to say,” Jenna sighs dramatically, taking her seat at the head of the table. “ _You’ve_ apparently been told the big secret.”

“It’s really not that big,” Lyana smiles, cheeks turning pink.

Todd manages a small smile, directed David’s way. “I see she hasn’t changed.”

David shakes his head, warm smile blooming across his lips. “No, she really hasn’t.”

Liam finally takes his seat, and finds his mother rolling her eyes. “Honey, please tell me the boys in Scotland are less frustrating than these three,” she says, and Lyana pauses with her fork halfway to her mouth, letting out a small noise of surprise.

“I suppose they might be,” she shrugs, green eyes sparkling with mischief as she beams at her mother. “But I like girls, myself, so I’ll be avoiding men entirely.”

Todd chokes on his pasta, David’s brows rise high on his forehead, and Jenna looks absolutely delighted. _Proud_ , even. Liam and Lyana dissolve into laughter at the same time, and it’s not long before their parents join in.

Liam thinks that a great many strange things have happened since he became a werewolf, and most of them have been bad. Very, very bad. But this? This is probably the best thing that’s happened to him since.

* * *

Theo lives for Saturdays.

It’s the one day a week he gets entirely to himself. He’s still a little surprised he managed to get it off, but really, when he can do the heavy lifting that usually takes three guys at the construction site on weekdays, it’s no wonder his boss had opted to give him weekends off. He’s made the job move much quicker than normal, and he’s grateful that not one of them have batted at eye at him clearly not being human.

And while he spends Sundays and weeknights at the animal clinic, Deaton gives him Saturday’s to be himself, whatever that means. Most times, it means hanging out with the pack, or doing his laundry, or whatever other errands he busies himself with.

Today, that’s groceries.

He doesn’t need much— _can’t_ get much, really, considering his truck doesn’t exactly have a fridge or kitchen. So it’s mostly junk food that makes its way into his cart, and canned goods he can heat over a fire on nights he parks in the preserve.

It’s not the most glamorous life, and working two jobs on little food and sleep is sort of running him ragged, but he has no other choice. He has nowhere else to go. He has no family, no home, and far too much pride to ever ask Liam and the others for help.

And yet Theo’s stayed, through Ghost Riders and Hunters and fear-hungry monsters. He’s tried to leave Beacon Hills twice since he came back from Hell, and he hasn’t been able to do it. He’s tried to pack up his few belongings, and drive off into the sunset, away from the shadows of his past and the bitter taste of his regrets. And each time, he’s reached the town line, and pulled to a stop. He’s looked out at the horizon, and thought about where he could go, who he could be…

And decided that he wants to _be_ better, to be someone to rely on, to trust. Someone who can be normal, and maybe work towards forgiveness or acceptance, at the very least. He doesn’t just want to survive anymore, he wants to _live_ , and he wants to do that _here_ , where it will get noticed. Where it will _matter_.

Even without a roof over his head and very little to his name.

He’s sure Deaton knows, but the man stays blissfully silent about it, and looks the other way when Theo sneaks back in after closing up to use the shower, or store fruits in the back fridge on the rare occasions he lets himself buy them. He’s sure it’s why he’d trusted him with keys in the first place, but Theo knows better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It’s exactly how he finds himself at the Dunbar-Geyer residence for dinner nearly every other night. It had been a rare moment of weakness the first time Mrs. Geyer had gotten him to stay a few weeks ago. He hadn’t eaten anything all day and it had smelled so good when he’d dropped by to help Liam with his Biology homework that his stomach had answered for him. He’d ended up falling asleep in the middle of a video game session with Liam after dinner, and had woken up tucked into their guest bedroom.

It had been the first time since he’d come up out of the ground that he’d slept in a real bed, _and_ that he’d slept through the whole night. Something that’s happened twice more since. And that terrifies him more than his nightmares ever could, because he’s not sure _when_ he got comfortable, he only knows that he did.

Comfortable enough that even _thinking_ about his weekly dinner with Liam’s family throws him off his game, so he doesn’t pick up on the foreign scent as soon as he should have. Theo’s sure he would’ve noticed the moment he walked into the grocery store, if he’d really been paying attention. The place isn’t that big. Instead, it doesn’t hit him until he’s practically in the aisle with the source.

Theo freezes, hand halfway to the cereal box on the shelf, nose wrinkling.

He stands there, flipping the package over and pretending to read the instructions as he picks through the different scents. Salty ocean breeze. Grassy fields filled with flowers. One smells like motor oil, or maybe a garage, the other like bubblegum. They both carry the scent of _travel_.

But beneath all that is the one thing that catches his attention. The one thing that draws him to look up, to glance down the aisle towards the duo standing partway between pop tarts and granola bars, arguing about which to get. The very distinct scent of _shape shifter_.

The smaller of the two has a chunk of pink mixed into her mane of light brown hair, the same shade as the overly large bubble she pops between her lips. It’s a stark contrast to her richly tanned skin. The other woman is taller, with broad shoulders and a gruff look about her. Her arms are crossed over her chest, displaying thick muscles as she looks down her nose at the pop tarts box the younger girl is holding out.

Theo inhales sharply as he recognizes the smell.

_Werecats._

The older one’s long, brown braid swings behind her as she turns to look at Theo, and he watches her nose move. He’s already putting the cereal box back on the shelf, backing away. He has mere seconds before she figures out what he is, and he doesn’t know if he wants to be around for that or not.

A split second later, her eyes flash, turning a molten orange.

 _Fuck._ He needs to leave, immediately.

His basket drops into the middle of the aisle, abandoned as he turns tail and walks as quickly as he can towards the front of the store while still being subtle. He doesn’t look back, just keeps the exit in sight, drawing as little attention to himself as possible.

Still, there’s movement to his right, and he spots a tall, lanky man with a mop of curly brown hair setting down the toilet paper he’d been carrying in order to start after him. And to his left, a blonde teenage boy pokes his head out of an aisle and watches him walk past with eyes blue enough to remind him of Liam.

How hadn’t he noticed _four_ of them in the store with him? _Fuck._ He could’ve easily been trapped. The hair on the back of his neck rises at the very thought, and his skin itches for sunlight and fresh air and an escape, _now_.

Theo nearly walks into the automatic doors as they slide open for him painfully slowly, and he makes a beeline for his truck the second he’s free. He’s distinctly aware of the sound of footsteps following him, and with horror he realizes the smell is strong out here, too. He pulls his keys from his pocket, but is careful not to unlock his truck just yet.

Because two more shifters are standing next to it, leaning against the hood of a snazzy, bright red coupe. Between them and his truck sits a silver SUV. He takes one look at the symbol on the hood and nearly loses it.

_Jaguars. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me._

Theo figures it’s better than a white construction van, or black SUV, but not by much.

The guy has his arms crossed over his chest, smirk sitting pretty on his handsome face. He’s well-built and there’s a pair of douchey sunglasses hanging off the edge of his nose. He leans over to whisper something into the ear of the woman next to him, and Theo’s heartbeat is pounding loud enough in his ears that he misses it. But he definitely doesn’t miss the flash of her eyes, and the red, slitted pupils that track his every step to his vehicle.

It makes his skin crawl.

He throws himself into the driver’s seat, pulling at the gearshift with a shaky, clammy hand.

The engine roars to life, and a moment later, he’s backing out of the parking lot. The two women from the cereal aisle and the guy with curly hair have made it outside, and as the guy with the sunglasses pulls them off, the midday sun catches all their eyes, lighting them up like the creepiest fourth of July Theo’s ever experienced. Four oranges and a simmering red.

The only one unaffected is the boy who reminded him of Liam, who hovers just inside the doorway with their half-full cart.

 _Liam_.

The name ricochets through his mind, snapping his focus to a single, linear point.

He needs to tell Liam right away.

Theo slams his foot on the gas, tires squealing as he peels off the pavement. He nearly T-bones a small yellow car turning into the grocery store, and the elderly woman behind the wheel lays on the horn as he drives away. It barely even registers to him.

What the hell is a group of werecats doing in Beacon Hills?

Theo realizes it’s not uncommon for supernaturals to seek out the town, but after the hunter fiasco, it’s been very quiet on that front. He knows, because no one has come to settle down here, human or otherwise. The council has kept tabs on it.

Which means this group can’t have been here long if they’ve flown under the radar, especially if the fresh smell of travel is anything to go by. He thinks it was plane, but he can’t be sure. He didn’t have enough time to focus and pick apart the scents, he’d been so startled.

Startled enough that he makes it to Liam’s place in record time. Most of the drive there is a blur, and he kind of hopes he paid some mind to traffic laws, at least subconsciously.

His tires whine only a little as he pulls up to the curb in front of the house. Like yesterday, there’s a small, grey car in his spot. Well, in the additional spot he often occupies, that in no way belongs to him. He ignores the odd twinge in his chest at the thought and wrenches his keys from the ignition.

Theo swings out of the truck with the urgency of a man trying to run a red light, and in his haste, he nearly forgets to slam the door shut behind him. He shoves his hands into his pockets, power walking up the driveway. He’s halfway when he spots the rental sticker in the windshield of the mystery Camry. He’d been hurrying to his vehicle earlier, but he’d still been paying enough attention to know the two jags had the same one.

Theo quickens his pace a little.

He thanks the universe for providing him with a little luck when the door swings open for him, unlocked. Absently, he realizes this must mean David isn’t home, but is soon expected. It’s the only time Jenna leaves the door this way. He also realizes that walking in like he lives here or something is incredibly rude.

The latter floods him with guilt, and he finds himself tucking his shoulders inwards as he closes the door softly behind him. A moment later, Jenna appears in the doorway to the kitchen. Her eyes widen when she spots him.

“Oh, Theo!” She blinks. “You’re here early.”

The lie feels rotten on his tongue. “Liam invited me,” Theo says, eyes flicking towards the stairs. He can pick out two heartbeats on the second level. “Said he had something to show me?”

Jenna softens, smiling. “Yes. I suppose he would.”

Theo tried not to frown, and masks his confusion by looking past her, towards the kitchen. He can’t see the guest, but he can hear their heartbeat. “I’m sorry, am I interrupting? Do you have company?”

“Sort of?” She laughs, and it sounds a little nervous. “Liam’s… well, it’s probably better if he tells you.” She motions towards the stairs.

Theo doesn’t need to be told twice. He kicks off his sneakers, noting the unfamiliar combat boots and fancy dress shoes on the mat next to them. He starts up the stairs, pausing only briefly on the first landing to throw a glance into the kitchen. He catches the faint smell of sea salt and flowers, causing his nerves to go haywire as he tries to pinpoint the source.

He doesn’t recognize the man standing at the counter, but his piercing blue eyes strike Theo with a familiarity that sets his teeth on edge. They look just like Liam’s, but he looks confused, rather than predatory like the shifters at the store.

Theo considers him irrelevant, and takes the rest of the steps two at a time, heading for the sound of voices at the end of the hall, on the left. Liam’s room. The door is barely ajar, and he can hear laughter inside. Both Liam’s loud, boisterous one and a lighter, more feminine chime.

The floorboard creaks as Theo pushes the door open. Immediately, he’s hit with a wave of sound and scent.

The TV is on, speakers blaring familiar music that tells him they’re playing _Injustice_. The discarded pizza box on the bed is responsible for the smell of grease and cheese, but the rest…

The hair on the back of his neck rises. That same smell from the grocery store… it’s here. And it’s _strong_.

“Theo!” Liam calls, and he sees the beta’s wide grin as he stands up, controller dropping to the ground, forgotten. His eyes are bright and happy. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh,” he says dumbly. His gaze drift past Liam and land on the other occupants of the room as she stands, too.

Theo’s eyes scan her up and down, from the mismatched socks, past the frayed knees on her jeans, and all the way up to the faded leather jacket that hangs loosely from her shoulders. It almost looks like something out of his closet, or Derek’s. There’s a coy smile playing at her lips, and her hair is short at her chin, choppy, like she cut it herself.

He inhales sharply and is met with the very strong scent of werecat.

_Fuck._

“Who’s she?” the asks Liam, standing to their right. The beta looks mildly uncomfortable, eyes darting back and forth between them. A little like a frightened deer, caught between two predators. Theo almost wants to laugh at how accurate that is.

“Um.” Liam makes a face, like he’s not quite sure himself. “My sister?”

The chimera’s heart skips a beat without his consent, and he feels his throat constrict. He blinks at her. Once, twice, and the girl’s smile only grows more predatory. Her hand extends towards him with a wink. “The name’s Lyana.”

The accent sounds vaguely Scottish.

“Sister?” Theo frowns, eyes flicking to Liam. His body stays angled towards the girl. “Since when do you have a sister?”

“My whole life?” He can tell from Liam’s tone that his earlier excitement is draining away, somewhat. Theo almost feels bad. _Almost._ “Her and Todd—uh, my bio dad—they moved away when I was really little. I haven’t seen them since.”

Clearly, this is why Jenna had thought her son had called him over. To introduce Theo to his sister, who he’d been separated from for years and years. Long enough for her to grow and change and possibly be hard to connect to the little girl she’d been. How very...

“Convenient.” The word slips out without him meaning to. He hears Liam’s startled noise of confusion, and watches Lyana’s eyes widen ever so slightly. The surprise is there and gone in a second, replaced by a smirk that sets off a growl deep in his chest.

“Theo?” Liam asks. His tone is a warning that the chimera ignores. “What are you doing?”

“Are you sure this is your sister?” Theo says slowly, deliberately.

“What?” Liam scoffs. “Of course she is. Why would you say something like that?”

"Does she smell different to you, Liam? Different than you remember?"

"What?" Liam's inching closer to him, eyes wide. He's trying to shake his head subtly, to motion for Theo to stop talking about their secret out loud, in front of her.

It's a little pointless, considering she already knows. "Does she smell like she's  _changed_ , Liam?"

"Theo, will you just fucking make sense already?"

Lyana tilts her head in a way that reminds him of Liam. It’s soft and puppy-like, and Theo’s sure she is anything but. “I don’t think you want to do this, pretty boy.”

He can smell her nerves, gaze flicking briefly to Liam, and it’s enough to set the fire loose beneath his skin. The tips of his fingers wiggle as his claws extend, and his gums itch like crazy for the few seconds it takes for his fangs to drop down.

“Oh, I think I do,” Theo growls, deep and rumbling.

“Theo!” Liam yells, but it’s a split-second too late.

Lyana pounces and the chimera goes tumbling backwards to the floor, his vision blurring the moment his head slams into the hardwood. There’s a sudden, blooming pain at the base of his skull, but it’s dulled by the very sharp prick of claws at his throat a moment later. He blinks spots out of eyes, and looks up to see hers are now a burning orange, pupils thin down the middle.

“Just couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you?” Her lips peel back into a snarl and she presses roughly against his stomach with her knee.

 “Where’s the fun in that…,” Theo smirks, just barely managing to swallow against the sting of her claws, “kitty cat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =^._.^= ∫


	3. everything has changed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, folks! I was on a company retreat in Mexico. But now that I'm back, it's full steam ahead.

Liam’s dreamed of seeing his sister again many times over the years. Less and less often as he got older, but still, he’s thought about it. With every card, every distant greeting that let him know she was still out there, he’s pictured it. Recently, he’s thought about backpacking through Europe after graduation with Theo, since neither of them have their futures figured out like Mason, Corey and Nolan do, and swinging by Scotland to see her.

But man, never in his wildest dreams has he pictured it quite like this.

“Lyana!” Liam yelps, stumbling back as they go careening past onto his floor. He grips tightly at the corner of his desk with one hand, the other reaching out to point. “What is _that_?!”

Peeking out the back hem of her shirt is a long, sleek, black _tail._ It curls through the air at the sound of his voice, and slowly, she pulls her gaze away from Theo and up to him. The sight of her eyes knocks the breath right out of Liam’s lungs.

They’re bright, burning strong like Theo’s beneath her. But it’s not a simple ring of colour. The majority of her eye is a blazing orange and yellow, with a thin, slitted pupil down the centre. Like a cat’s.

A very angry cat, if the swish and flick of her tail is any indication, accompanied by a low hiss from her lips. “Surely you’ve seen a tail before, little brother.”

“On an actual cat!” Liam says, voice pitching dangerously upwards. “Not on my sister! Why do you have a _tail_?!”

“Clearly, Liam, it’s because she’s a fucking werecat,” Theo points out, voice strained.

“A what?” The younger boy frowns, heart hammering in his chest. He doesn’t understand what’s going on, how things have so quickly escalated and gone to shit. His brain is firing off questions at lightning speed, but none of them are actually reaching his mouth properly. “A were… what? You’re—but how—”

“Didn’t you notice the _smell_?” Theo huffs. Lyana lets out an offended noise.

“I thought—” Liam starts, frowning as he remembers picking up the scent of cat when he’d gotten home last night. Today, too. The whole time they’d been sitting here playing _Injustice_ , he thought he had been able to smell something feline.

Liam freezes, eyes flickering to his TV screen. The game is still running, the match counter ticking down seeing as they forgot to pause. He’d been playing as Superman, who’s still idling mid-air, while his sister had chosen… Catwoman.

_Fuck._

Liam flushes, gaze whipping down to meet Theo’s. “I mean, I figured she owned a cat!”

“God, you’re an idiot,” the chimera rolls his eyes. Lyana hisses viciously at him, pressing harder against his throat and cutting him off. His eyes flare gold, and a strangled growl rumbles in his chest.

Liam looses a matching growl almost without meaning to. It’s instinctive, a response to Theo’s obvious sounds of distress. He takes a heavy step towards them, as if drawn forward by an invisible force, shoulders straightening. “Lyana, that’s enough!” His voice comes out deep, definitely wolffish, causing his sister to pull back sharply and look up at him.

She blinks a few times, but doesn’t move off Theo. Irritation builds like pressure in his right temple, and panic seizes chest at the sight of red droplets, bright and jarring against Theo’s pale neck. He knows the chimera will heal, but Liam’s claws descend all the same. He opens his mouth, baring his fangs and fully intending to call his sister off Theo a second time.

And then his bedroom door opens again.

“I heard a thump and shouting, are you kids— _oh my god_ ,” Jenna gasps, and Liam turns to see her eyes widen at the sight of her daughter, still half shifted with her hand around Theo’s throat. “What the _hell?_ ”

“Mum!” Lyana’s grip relaxes instantly, allowing Theo to breathe. He lets out a nasty, hacking cough as the air returns to his lungs and the werecat backs away from him. Her eyes return to normal as she stammers: “I-I can explain.”

“Oh, you’re going to, and you’re not the only one,” Jenna says, voice dangerously low, with only a hint of panic. She half turns towards the door, never taking her eyes off Lyana as she raises her voice. “Todd Lachlan Dunbar! Get your ass up here immediately!”

Liam can hear one of the stools in the kitchen scrape backwards as his birth father gets up, and his hurried footsteps make for the stairs. Liam’s eyes don’t leave his sister, who’s now got a guilty look on her face. “I’m sorry,” she says gently to him, chewing on her bottom lip. “It was instinctive. He was going to attack me!”

“I was not,” Theo says from the floor, tone petulant. Liam glances down to see him rubbing at his throat. His face and hands have returned to normal, but he looks pissed.

“Sure seemed like it,” Lyana says, shooting him a dirty look. Her tail is still visible, flicking behind her in a way that means she’s just as displeased. At least, Liam assumes that’s what it means. He’s kind of just going off real cats.

“I was pro—” Theo starts, but Jenna’s hand settles around his arm, helping him to his feet, and he clamps his mouth shut. Liam glances back and forth between the two, unsure who to question first, when the footsteps finally reach his bedroom doorway.

“What’s going on?” Todd says, sounding a little winded.

“Da!” Lyana’s eyes widen, and her tail straightens immediately to hide behind her back. Her hands ball into fists, hiding her claws from sight, and a blush colours her cheeks.

Liam hears the soft click of Todd’s tongue. “Oh, Lyana… Already?”

“He started it,” she grumbles, and Theo lets out a huff that sounds both unimpressed and offended. Both their responses are entirely overshadowed by Jenna’s.

“Oh, good, so you _do_ know,” the woman rounds on her ex-husband, hands going to her hips. “How long?”

Todd’s gaze slides past her to settle on their daughter, who grimaces. “Jenna...” he starts, eyes and tone both pleading.

“Don’t you _Jenna_ me,” she says, words tight and clipped. Liam winces, feeling a little bad. She’s not raising her voice much, but he knows this version of his mother’s anger is far scarier. It’s quiet, and all too calm. _“How long?”_

Todd purses his lips tightly, looking uncomfortable. There’s a heavy silence for several long moments, and then, just as Jenna opens her mouth to speak again, there’s a quiet voice from Liam’s right.

“Six years,” Lyana says. She steps carefully past him, giving Theo a wide berth, and Liam can see that her tail has entirely vanished as she goes to stand next to her father.

“Six _years_? Are you—” Jenna lets out a dark, disbelieving laugh. “Care to enlighten me as to why our daughter is a _werecat?_ And why you didn’t think it was important to, oh, I don’t know, _tell me?!”_

On second thought, maybe not so calm.

Todd scoffs, rolling his eyes. “You’re one to talk.”

Liam freezes alongside his mother and Theo, the latter of whom locks his gaze to the werewolf instantly. There’s surprise in his green eyes, but his heartbeat remains a calm, steady contrast to Liam’s, which picks up a little. The younger boy can only shrug, mouth a thin, hesitant line as he turns to look at his birth father.

“Excuse me?” Jenna asks. She takes a small, subtle step to her left, placing herself between him and Liam. Theo shifts to match her.

“Our son is a werewolf.” Todd raises a brow, and Liam feels his knees tremble and threaten to give out. _How does he know that?_ “You didn’t think that warranted a phone call? Maybe even a visit?”

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? Because you found out?” Liam watches his mother’s hands ball into tight fists at her sides. “It doesn’t change anything. He’s _my_ son and we’re handling it just fine, thank you. We don’t need your help.”

“Jenna, with his IED—”

Liam’s pulse ices. Todd knows about his condition, too? He hadn’t been tested until a couple years after they’d left, so how…

“Oh, hell no,” she snaps, shaking her head. There’s a cold fury in her eyes. “You don’t get to walk back in here and think you know better than me. You don’t get to pretend that nothing happened just because he’s suddenly your area of expertise. You forfeited that right when you left.”

Liam’s breathing quickens, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. The smell of stress is thick in the air, and it’s making his skin itch. He doesn’t understand what’s going on for the second time in so very few minutes, or how things have shifted into an argument, but it’s doing his anxiety no favours. He glances back and forth between his mother and Todd, biting at his bottom lip.

He’s so focused he doesn’t notice that Theo has inched ever closer until the older boy’s shoulder presses against his.

A wave of motor oil, cinnamon and something deeply earthy washes over Liam, and his nerves settle almost instantly. He feels calm bleed back into every corner of his body, and he inhales more of Theo’s scent, letting it chase away the last hints of stress. He glances up at Theo’s face, but the chimera’s eyes haven’t left the others. His brows are drawn into a deep frown, but his head is slightly tilted, as if he’s listening to Liam.

Or, more likely, his slowly steadying heartbeat.

As soon as it evens out, he crosses his arms, taking a half step forward to shield Liam like he’d done earlier against Lyana. The move tugs at something in Liam’s chest, deep and familiar. It’s similar to what he’d felt when the whole pack had been together, just after the war, yet still different.

That same thing he’s felt multiple times since they’ve become friends, and before that, even.

Liam thinks he knows what it is. In fact, he’s pretty sure he’s known since that night at the hospital. Or maybe even before, when Theo had stopped him from killing Gabe in the locker room.

But as usual, the universe doesn’t give him the time to come the feeling to the word on the tip of his tongue, because he tunes back into the argument then, and his blood runs cold.

“Which one of them was it that told you?” Jenna huffs. “Deaton? Morrell?”

Liam’s shoulders stiffen. “What?” he chokes out., confused. “Why would he have spoken to them?”

Todd and Jenna look at him then. The former’s eyes are dark, his whole expression far more serious than Liam’s seen it since he arrived last night. Possibly ever, really. His mother, on the other hand, looks _guilty_.

“Mom?” Liam frowns, voice higher pitched than normal. His gaze skitters across all his family members in turn, and their varying degrees of sympathy. Of _knowing_. Like they’re all in a joke that they’ve forgotten to include him in.

And that’s what really sets his teeth on edge.

His hands ball into fists. “What the fuck is going on?”

* * *

His birth father, as it turns out, is a Druid.

 _As if my life couldn’t get any fucking weirder_ , Liam thinks, seated on the living room couch between his sister and Theo. His mother is tucked into her favourite recliner, calming cup of tea held tightly in her hands. Todd has elected to stand, seeing as when he’d tried to sit in David’s usual recliner, his ex-wife had given him a look so fierce it rivalled that of any monster Liam’s ever faced. Instead, he’s leaning against the mantle above the fireplace, arms crossed as he tells his story.

He’d grown up in Scotland, in the small, quiet town of Fortingall. He’d spent most of his life there, until he’d moved to the coast to attend the University of St. Andrews. In his third and final year there, he’d met a beautiful american exchange student who’d swept him off his feet. He’d fallen head over heels in love, but neither of them had been willing to continue a long-distance relationship after graduation. Not with their lives still growing and changing at such a young age.

So Todd had packed up and followed her to the States. He’d shown up on her doorstep and asked her to spend the rest of their lives together. To marry him and start a family together.

To spent a handful of bright, happy years together before it fell apart and he’d returned to Scotland with only half of what he’d gained.

That much, Liam has always known.

It’s the little details that he’s missed out on. That he’s never quite been told.

Like how his birth father’s family lineage is filled with a long line of Druids. They make up the circle in Fortingall, and guard the oldest living tree in the world—a gnarled Yew that doubles as a formidable Nemeton. Or how his university, the oldest in Scotland, was built by Druids in 1413 with the country’s second, smaller Nemeton in it’s centre courtyard. It had been used to train people like him for over half a century. How he’d been juggling his training with them and his regular schooling, studying the same things that Deaton has been teaching Mason all while he’d been earning a business degree.

How he’d given up that life just before the St. Andrews circle’s final test to follow Jenna back to California.

He’d told her everything shortly after they’d started dating, when he realized just how deep his feelings ran, so she knew exactly that he’d been sacrificing by choosing her over his heritage. She’d known about _everything_ , really, from werewolves and wendigos to coyotes and kitsunes. A fact that hits Liam like a ton of bricks, but explains how easy-going and understanding she’d been when he’d told her about being a werewolf.

“Surprise, kid,” Jenna smiles at him, nervous laugh bubbling up between her lips.

He mulls it all over, the new information rattling around in his head. It paints a clearer picture of _before_ , but not _now_. And really, what does any of it change? All it does is make Liam feel like shit as he realizes that Todd gave up more than he’d thought for them, and it hadn’t changed a goddamn thing.

“Were we not enough, then, is that it?” Liam says finally. There’s a butter cadence to his voice, as he attempts to ignore the sting of hot tears.

“What?” Todd frowns, looking like _he’s_ the one that’s hurting.

“You said you loved my mom, and you gave up all that crap for us, but you still left. You still gave up on _us_ , and you _walked out_ , and you never fucking looked back!”

He glares at Todd, and narrowly avoids growling the words. Liam feels the anger in his chest, the years-old wound torn freshly open by this conversation and the useless information presented to him. But he keeps it at bay between the squeeze of Lyana’s fingers around his, and the press of Theo’s shoulder against his right side. His sister looks upset, while the chimera just looks pissed, like Todd’s personally offended _him_ or something.

“It’s not that simple, Liam,” Todd sighs.

Liam’s jaw tightens. “Explain it to me, then.”

So he does.

Druids are in tune with nature, and when anchored to a Nemeton, their power was a steady, calming force. The one here in Beacon Hills had been dormant at the time, and without it, Todd had stopped practicing entirely by the time they’d been married. He’d all but abandoned his roots, figuratively and literally.

The lack of a grounding force hadn’t been so bad at first, because he’d still had the ley lines to center himself on, and he’d made friends with some of the Druids from the circle in Beacon County. People like Deaton, and Morrell, and someone named Julia Baccari. But the longer he’d gone without that complete connection, the harder it had been both mentally and physically. After all, Todd had first been introduced to the “family business” as a means of controlling his anger and IED.

A fact that hits Liam the hardest.

Deep down, he’s always known where his own issues came from. The doctor had told them it was hereditary, and since Jenna wasn’t particularly prone to uncontrolled fits of violence and anger, well… it had been easy to put two and two together. Hearing it out of Todd’s mouth, however, leaves him feeling strange and unsettled. Jittery.

Itchy, as though the confirmation that he shares a little more than blood and an eye colour with his birth father is something simply crawling beneath his skin, ready to be scratched out.

It only gets worse when Todd confirms that it’s the reason he left, too. That being faced with the first signs of a bit more than simple toddler tantrums in his four year old son had scared him enough to send him back to Scotland, taking his daughter with him to _protect_ her, or something. It’s clear from the careful way he tiptoes around the subject that it’s not the only reason his marriage fell apart, but it’s the only one relevant to their current conversation, so it’s the one they get.

He’d gone back to his family the moment they’d landed, and begged them to take him and Lyana in. To reconnect him to his old life and practices. Before long, he’d made peace with the Nemeton, his circle, and himself. And just as he’d been completing his final test, an old childhood friend had walked back into his life, having heard of his return.

She’d asked him to be her Emissary.

“Rhona?” Jenna asks, sipping quietly at her tea. It’s the first time she’s spoken in over half an hour. Her ex-husband nods, and the smile on her lips turns fond.

In Scotland, Druid circles run a little differently. Not just the Dunbars in Fortingall and the governing circle in St. Andrews, but the country as a whole. Instead of being tied to werewolf packs, which were a far less common, they became Emissaries for werecat prides instead.

“Prides?” Liam frowns, tilting his head and glancing sideways at his sister. “Like, lions?”

She smiles brightly, nodding. “It’s the werecat equivalent of a pack, though things are a little different.”

“Different how?”

“It’s a family, but it’s also…” Lyana’s face pinches as she attempts to find the right word.

”It’s a job,” Theo supplies, and Liam has a chance to see his sister’s scowl before he turns to look at the chimera seated on his right.

“What? How?”

“They don’t build a pack like wolves do. At least, not entirely. A good chunk of it is family sure, all born cats, but it’s far easier for an omega or outsider to join, because they can be hired on as muscle. They’re not inner circle, more like… the help,” Theo drawls, words thick with judgement. He stretches his arms back behind his head, smirking. “You buy a dog at the shelter, and it’ll love you unconditionally for life. It’ll be your best friend. You buy a cat, and you’re lucky if it likes cuddles, let alone being in the same room as you. They’re fickle, independant things and it’s no different in the supernatural world. For werecats, loyalty isn’t an otherworldly tether like the bond you share with Scott—it can be bought.”

There’s a sharp hiss behind him, and Liam shifts back to look at his sister. The expression on her face is entirely unimpressed.

“You _would_ cheapen it to that,” she rolls her eyes, then squeezes her brother’s hand. “It’s saying things a little crudely, but your friend is right. The supernatural rules are a little looser with prides, and werecats in general. It means you’re not tied to the person who bit you, like some sort of possessive rubbish. An Alpha earns their title by working for it, and gaining a pride of their own with respect, not by biting random strangers and forcing them into things.”

Liam’s face heats as he remembers how he’d reacted when Scott bit him to save his life, how angry and vicious he’d been when the older boy had only been trying to help. Granted, Scott and Stiles hadn’t exactly helped by taping him up and putting him in a tub to poorly explain things, and he’d felt cheated for a long time afterwards, but things had worked out, in the end. He’d gained a pack and friends who were family to him now.

“So is that when you…” Liam trails off, waving his hand over his sister.

“You just gestured to all of me,” Lyana laughs.

“No,” Todd speaks up, and Liam looks to him again for the first time in several minutes. His face is dark, a little sad. “That came a little later.”

He’s got one brow raised in question, and after a beat, Liam nods, telling him to keep going with his story.

In the years he’d been away in Beacon Hills, Todd’s childhood friend Rhona had risen in the ranks of her family’s pride, and when the time had come for her father to choose his successor, he’d been stuck between her and her eldest brother. Unlike wolves, powers aren’t passed on, so anyone can be chosen as a successor, even a stray—a werecat omega—that’s been brought in.

But her father belonged to the Northern Territorial Council, a group of Alphas at the head of the eight prides that made up the upper half of Scotland, each one with a huge county to their name. And each one male, incredibly old-fashioned, and unwilling to see a woman at their table. So his hand had been forced, and when he’d named her brother his successor, Rhona had walked out, taking his three best enforcers with her.

She’d told them she’d build the best damn pride any of them had ever seen, just beyond their borders in central Scotland. There, the counties were smaller, denser, and not governed by a Territorial Council like the North and South. Werecats and other supernaturals lived more freely, meshed comfortably in with humans instead of separated. Rhona made her new home there, without any help, and began building her pride.

Her first step had been to track down Todd the moment he’d finished his training and swear him in as her Emissary. Together, they’d spent the last thirteen years making good on her promise.

Which is where Lyana came in.

“I told you I had an accident,” she says, and Liam’s eyes flicker to their mother, who perks up at the mention of it. Clearly, she hadn’t known either.

“I assumed you meant like…,” Liam’s face scrunches up in thought, “a car crash, or something.”

Her lips pull back into a sad smile. “Not quite, no.” Lyana’s eyes slide over to her father. “Mine was far more personal.”

“Personal?” Jenna frowns, following her daughter’s gaze. Her brows deepen into a half glare. “What does she mean, Todd?”

The man sighs deeply, shoulders tucking upwards as if he’s bracing himself. “Not every supernatural in the central counties was happy about Rhona’s growing success. They’d spent years free of any governing force, doing whatever they wanted. Even though her pride wasn’t actively policing them… they still saw her as a threat.”

Liam can see the muscles in his arms grow taught as he pulls them tighter over his chest.

“They wanted to send her that message. And they figured the best way to do it was through an innocent on the fringes of the pride,” Todd continues. There’s anger in his voice now, Liam can hear it creeping in slowly, carefully. “They… they went after Lyana.”

Ceramic clinks together as Jenna’s cup rattles in her hands, tapping against the plate beneath it. “They _what_.”

“It was a rogue tomcat,” Lyana explains, quieter than before. Liam can feel her fingers tremble, and he squeezes her hand tighter.

Her free hand reaches up, pulling the edge of her shirt up to reveal four long, jagged lines across her stomach. There’s more on her right side, disappearing beneath fabric. The breath punches out of Liam’s body, and he hears their mother gasp.

“He got me on my way home from school. Jumped in front of my car while shifted, and I almost crashed thinking I was avoiding a real mountain lion, or something. I was barely a block from our house.” She drops her shirt, and scrunches her face up at the memory. “I guess that’s probably a good thing, since the neighbor was out walking his dog and found me in the middle of the street.”

Jenna’s cup shatters against the floorboards.

Liam’s gaze whips over to find her standing, face struck somewhere between anger and grief. There’s a fire in her eyes, burning brightly as she turns to look at Todd. “You. This is your fault.” The tremor in her voice that plucks are the ache in Liam’s chest. “You took her back there.  _You_ supposed to protect her!”

“Mom,” Liam starts.

“No, it’s okay, Liam,” Todd shakes his head, not taking his eyes off his ex-wife. Probably a wise decision, Liam thinks. “She’s right.”

Her anger doesn’t disappear, but it does subside slightly, replaced with a flash of surprise. He shakes his head.

“I didn’t see it that way when it happened. Instead, standing there, looking at my daughter’s pale skin against the hospital sheets, while a machine counted down the time she had left—I was beside myself with grief and anger. And I put it all on Rhona,” Todd explains, and Liam catches the faint smell of shame rolling off him. “I yelled and said despicable things to someone who’d never done anything but give me a chance, a home, and a friend. I blamed _her_ for the attack, instead of owning up to how careless I’d been.”

“Da…,” Lyana whispers. His jaw clenches in response.

“We knew they were planning something, word had spread from the streets to the cats that were loyal to her. And I hadn’t taken the precautions I should have to protect the person most important to me.” Todd’s arms uncross, and one shaky hand combs through his hair. The look on his face has softened to full-blown guilt now. “So I did the only thing I could think of to fix it—I begged Rhona to save her.”

“A specialist in rather unique injuries…,” Liam says softly, turning to look at his sister. There’s a small tug at the corner of her lips. “That’s what you said yesterday.”

“I wasn’t lying,” Lyana tilts her head. There’s a twinkle in her eyes, a glimmer of tears. “It’s part of how she built her pride. Helping people in need, saving those who had no way to do it themselves. She took in strays, gave them shelter and food and work. For humans who were sick or dying, she offered them a second chance. She didn’t ask anything in return. If they turned, it was their choice to stay and become part of the pride. Everything… Everything was always their choice.”

Her gaze slides to her father, who looks heartbroken. Jenna slides slowly back into her seat, one hand over her mouth. “Even taking the bite, knowing the risks. Knowing that some people… didn’t make it through scratch fever.”

“Scratch fever?” Liam frowns.

“After the bite, we get sick. Our bodies try to fight it off, like an infection. If it takes, you become a werecat. If it doesn’t, well…” She grimaces. “You die. I’m sure it’s similar for wolves?”

“You only get sick if the bite doesn’t take,” Theo explains, and Liam shifts slightly so he’s seated evenly between them again, glancing back and forth. Theo looks slightly uncomfortable, glancing at his clenched hands on his lap. “It doesn’t really hit us until our first full moon.”

He looks a little sad, and it strikes Liam suddenly that he’s never wondered what it was like for Theo. He’s a chimera, after all. Did the full moon still affect him? Did it affect him _doubly_ because of his two halves? And if it did… how hard had that been the first time, without an Alpha to coach him through it, to anchor him? Had the Dread Doctors helped him? Or had they set him loose and let him figure it out on his own?

Theo’s eyes snap up to meet his, wide and a little startled. Liam’s heart skips a beat. _I hope I didn’t say that out loud._

The chimera’s brow furrows, nostrils flaring, and Liam realizes with horror that he can probably smell the pity pulling at his heartstrings. Swallowing thickly, he turns away, settling on his sister.

“What did you choose, sweetheart?” Jenna says, voice crackling. “After the bite?”

Lyana and Todd exchange a look. Silent, but heavy. In the seconds that pass, unspoken words flicker between them.

And then Theo speaks up again. “She chose to join the pride.”

Liam frowns. “How do you know that?”

“Because she brought them with her.” He leans past the werewolf to look at her. “Isn’t that right, kitty cat?”

* * *

The Dunbars spend the next several minutes explaining, as Theo knew they would. It’s what he’d hoped for, in all honesty. After all, the pride he’d seen in town had been his reason for coming here, for forcing this little family chat to happen earlier than they’d clearly been planning. He’d done it in the hopes that they’d convince him there was nothing to worry about, that bringing a group of werecats into their city _wasn’t_ a dangerous idea.

After leaving Beacon Hills, Todd had always kept an ear to the ground. He’d stayed in contact with Deaton and Morell, and he’d checked occasionally. At first, it hadn’t worried him. Despite being a supernatural beacon, the city had a dormant Nemeton and a handful of hunters.

But over the years, things had begun to change. The Nemeton had been awoken right around the same time Lyana had been turned. Deaton became his only contact as his sister aligned herself with an Alpha pack and Julia died. A fire claimed most of the Hale family. And from there, things only got worse. And fairly quickly.

Kanimas and the return of the Argent family. Rogue alphas. A Darach. A Nogitsune and a group of Oni. Things worsened, and more and more supernaturals flocked to Beacon Hills. It made sense, after all. The city had one of the biggest and oldest Nemetons. Only the two he’d frequently in Scotland and the one in Africa were bigger.

Still, Todd had stayed halfway across the world. As long as the mess stayed away from his family, he had no reason to return. Nothing to draw him away from his pride as they strengthened their numbers and built a beautiful community in the centre of Scotland. As his daughter grew into the beautiful, powerful young woman she is today.

And then his son was bitten by a True Alpha.

After that, he’d started paying attention. Through the deadpool, and the Dread Doctors, and the beast. Even the Ghost Riders. Todd had started thinking about coming back, about telling his daughter what was going on.

The final straw had been Gerard and the hunters. A full-scale, all out war that had touched all parts of the globe. One that hadn’t really ended, considering Tamora had gotten away, and there were whispers of her shadows of every State across the country, and even in some places close to them. England. France.

He’d told Lyana everything the moment he’d found out.

She’d completely lost it, angry that it had taken him so long to tell her anything. Angry that her brother and his friends had been suffering for over a year and a half when they could’ve helped. When they had an entire pride that could’ve offered assistance. They’d argued about it, and Lyana had gone to her alpha, begging her to let them go.

But Beacon Hills had been in the middle of things then, and Rhona had refused. They were on lockdown, no one getting in or out of the city. And they had problems of their own. Hunters of their own, knocking on the door.

Todd had been helping one of their enforces pick an Argent bullet out of his shoulder two weeks later when he’d made the decision. He’d gone to Rhona himself, and made a deal that the moment their hunter problem was over with, they’d go to Beacon Hills and reunite with Jenna and their son. It had simply taken them awhile to get things cleaned up and head over. Months, really.

But they were here now.

“A little late to the party, don’t you think?” Theo points out, earning himself a glare from both Todd and Lyana.

 “We’re not here for the hunters, obviously,” she says drily. “We’re here for our family.”

“Heartwarming, really,” he drawls. Liam shoots him a look. “But why bring the whole litter with you?”

She rolls her eyes. “If you think that’s our whole pride, you’re sorely mistaken. Rhona only brought a handful of cats. Her best enforcers.”

“Riiiight. Sure,” Theo nods, distinctly picturing the bubble-gum blowing girl with pink hair, and the short, baby-faced kid that had reminded him of Liam. His gaze slides to the werewolf. “Can I speak with you for a minute?”

The younger boy looks startled as the chimera stands, walking out of the room. He hears Liam scramble to follow, the quick padding of his feet against the floorboards. When Theo stops just down the hall, spinning around to face Liam, the werewolf nearly collides with him.

He lets out a little noise of surprise, skidding to a stop in front of Theo and blinking up at him, blue eyes wide and questioning. “What’s wrong?”

Theo sighs, preparing himself. He knows he has to choose his words carefully, because he doesn’t want to upset the other boy. “We need to tell the others, and the council, as soon as possible.”

Liam frowns. “What?”

“These werecats—this pride—they should check in, like other supernaturals do. It’s why I came here after I saw them at the grocery store.”

“Okay… and why did we have to leave the room for that?”

“Because I figured you’d be pissed if I said it to your sister’s face that I don’t trust any of them.”

“Theo!” Liam exclaims. “What the fuck?”

“Well I don’t,” Theo shrugs. “And you shouldn’t either.”

“She’s my _sister_.”

“I get that, and I’m happy for you. Really, I am.” Theo cards a hand through his hair when Liam starts to look skeptical. He swallows thickly, forcing the words out past his lips. “I _am_. You know as well as I do how much I’d give for that kind of reunion.”

He can hear the bitterness, the darkness in his own voice. He sees Liam’s face soften, the pity he saw earlier in the living resurfacing. Theo ploughs on, ignoring it. “But I also know that’s going to cloud your judgement a little. So you need someone to think logically about the situation.”

“And that’s you.” Liam says, but he’s already nodding, as if the fact isn’t something to debate.

“The hunters are gone, Liam. At least for now,” Theo explains. “So why bring the whole team with you? Why not come alone, as a family? One werecat isn’t that dangerous, but an entire pride? Or… the six I say today, anyway.”

Liam chews on his bottom lip. “You think they want something.”

“If it wasn’t _your_ sister, but someone else’s… wouldn’t you think it a little suspicious?”

“I get the feeling you think everyone’s suspicious, pretty boy,” a voice says, and they both jump. Liam turns, and Theo looks over his head to see Lyana standing just outside the living room, arms crossed as she leans against the door jamb. She brings one hand up, tapping at her ear. “Shifter hearing, boys.”

Theo scowls. Carefully, he takes a step forward, past Liam. He slides his shoulder in front of the werewolf for the third time in as many hours, and watches as Lyana’s eyes narrow slightly at the move. “You’re right, I don’t trust easily.”

“Neither do I.” She pushes off the wall, walking over to them. Lyana takes a deep breath as she comes to a stop, outstretching a hand to him. “So how’s about we start over, aye? I’m sorry for trying to claw your throat out.”

Theo looks at her, blinking a few times, assessing her. There’s no skip in her heartbeat to indicate she’s not telling the truth, but Theo’s well aware that doesn’t mean anything. He frowns, looking between her half smile and her offering.

She tilts her head slightly when he doesn’t respond, raising one brow. “If it’ll ease your mind, I’d be happy to introduce you to the others. Formally. With your pack and your council or whoever. Whatever it takes to show you we mean no harm.”

Liam nudges him from behind, and Theo half turns to see him raising a brow, too. But his is a silent plea.

Theo laughs. “It’s not my decision, it’s yours. You’re the alpha,” he tells the boy, and watches the shorter wolf process the words. Pink sears his cheeks, and he ducks his head a little.

“Only temporarily,” he coughs, backing away.

“Still. You’re in charge, Liam,” Theo states. The werewolf straightens at the words, almost preening.  “I’m just here to offer advice.”

“Right,” he sighs, looking to his sister. “A pack meeting, with the council and the pride. You can introduce them, and explain what you’re doing in Beacon Hills.” His gaze slides back to Theo. “It’ll have to be at Mason’s—we can’t fit everyone here.”

The chimera dips his head. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Okay, great.” Liam nods a few times, slipping his phone from his pocket. “I’ll make the calls.”

A few quick taps later, and he’s got his phone pressed to his ear. Theo can hear ringing on the other end, and a moment later, Mason picks up.

“Hey, Mase? What are you doing tomorrow?” Liam starts, wandering off down the hall, past his sister and into the kitchen.

When Theo’s eyes refocus on Lyana, her hand has dropped away, and the friendly smile on her lips has faded into something far more predatory. Almost cheshire-like.

“What?” He barks, but there’s barely any bite to it. He supposes he should probably to at least try and be polite to her, for Liam’s sake. At least until she proves him right about ulterior motives.

She’s tilting her head at him again, like earlier. But this time it raises the hair on the back of his neck. “What are you?”

His jaw tightens. “A chimera.”

“Like, the thing with the snake tail and lion head? You’re kidding, right?” Lyana laughs, amusement sparkling in her green eyes. They’re a little darker than his.

“Our—” he catches himself, and tries not to wince at the obvious slip. It tugs viciously at his insides. “His alpha, Scott, coined the term. For a group of us who were… science experiments, I guess. An amalgamation of supernatural parts. I’m part wolf, part coyote.”

“An engineered shifter? Interesting.” Her eyes rake him up and down, nostrils flaring. “That explains the confusing stench. But that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

Lyana’s gaze shifts right, to the wall of the stairs. The kitchen is on the side of it, and he can hear Liam talking animatedly to his best friend. “What are you to _him_?”

He barely stops his heart from skipping a beat. “What?” The word still comes out a little rushed.

Lyana starts in a slow circle around him. “My brother’s not an alpha, so you can’t be his beta. So what. Are. You?” She raises one brow. “Pack enforcer? Bodyguard? Where do you sit in the pack hierarchy, pretty boy?”

“I don’t,” Theo snaps. The nickname is starting to piss him off, and it’s enough to mask the bitter sting of his own words. “I’m not pack, and I’m not anything to him.”

She lets out a little laugh, sounding entirely unconvinced. Her circling ends with her closer than before, cheshire grin still firmly in place. “For someone who doesn’t feel the call of pack, or any kind of tether to him, you sure threw yourself hard into a fight with me.”

Theo rolls his eyes. “I’m not scared of you.”

“You should be.” Her eyes twinkle mischievously, flashing orange for a moment. “I would’ve ripped you to shreds.”

“You could’ve tried,” he scoffs, responding in kind with gold.

And then the impish grin turns more knowing, setting off a warning bell in the back of his mind.

“Boyfriend, then?” She asks innocently.

The word throws him off, and his heart skips one traitorous beat before he regains control over it. From the look on her face, he knows it won’t matter. He’s lost this battle. His teeth gnash tightly together to keep him from snarling. “A friend.”

Lyana steps closer, fingers dancing across his one arm, grin widening. Her voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper. “But you’d like to be more, wouldn’t you?”

That’s all it takes to snap the last tether on his calm. Theo surges forward, crowding her against the wall, palms flat on either side of her. A picture frame to his right rattles, and a growl builds in his throat, deepening his words. “Shut up,” he hisses. “You’ve been here five minutes. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think I do.” Her chin juts out, bringing her smug grin closer. “I saw the way you—”

“What are you guys doing?” They turn to see Liam at the end of the hall, glaring. His hand is at his side, halfway to pocketing his phone, and Theo’s growl dies instantly. A lance of shame soars through him, but he’s not exactly sure why.

Lyana slips away from Theo, smiling. “Just getting to know each other better, Li.” Her voice is sweet, saccharine, and the absolute picture of innocence again. She wanders over, ruffling her brother’s hair. “So, council date all set up?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow at noon.” He doesn’t break eye contact with Theo, who feels his throat dry up.

“Excellent. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a glass of water. I’m a little thirsty.”

She slinks off into the kitchen, bounce in her step, leaving them alone. Liam still looks angry, and Theo doesn’t like the way that makes him feel. He feels like he should apologize, but he doesn’t know why or what to say. He’s not even sure what he’s done wrong, but the look on the beta’s face is certainly making him feel like he has.

“Do you—” He starts, cursing himself as his voice catches. “Do you still want me to stay for dinner? With the extra crowd?”

He doesn’t want to impose. Or keep feeling the way he does right this second. Like his whole body’s about to spontaneously combust.

“You do whatever you want, Theo,” Liam says drily. “You’re clearly good at that.”

And he turns on his heel and walks away, leaving Theo alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully my scene jumps and what essentially equated to flashback storytelling flowed well. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I want this chapter away from me lol
> 
> Also, since we're delving a little bit more heavily into werecat lore in this chapter, shoutout to Rachel Vincent's _Shifters_ series, which is where all my inspo for my werecats and their society comes from. I'm just transplanting it to Scotland and tweaking things here and there. And big thanks to allidon for helping me with my Scotland research binge.


	4. wild cats of kilkenny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The werecats gather for a meeting with Liam, his pack and the council. Introductions are made, friendships are had, and they discover the real reason the pride has come to Beacon Hills...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking at my author's note from last chapter laughing because I said I'd be back to normal and then like, abruptly took a four month hiatus because I'm the worst. Anywho. Making no promises this time around because I am a garbage human. Have fun with the cats!

****They meet at 9 the next day.

Liam wakes bright and early to the sound of his mother’s voice, urging him to get out of bed. He grumbles, but obliges, knowing she and his father want to head over to help set up.  

The Hewitts’ dining room isn’t a stranger to impromptu council meetings, both for the town and the pack, but this is quite a few more people than they’re used to. Camille says they needn’t have bothered, but Liam sees the tense line in her shoulders as she watches Corey and her son try and move a table. Try and fail, that is.  

“It’s no trouble,” he smiles his brightest. The doorbell rings, and Liam waves a hand at the Hewitts and his own parents. “You guys do your council thing, I’ve got this handled.” 

And he walks over, plucking the table from Mason’s hands with minimal effort. His best friend offers him a grateful look, and Corey looks relieved. They’re mid-way through moving the table when Liam’s ears pick up Melissa’s light, twinkling laugh and Argent’s’ low chuckle from the front entrance.  

They’re accompanied by Nolan’s quiet shuffle.  

They haven’t talked about it, any of them, but they think he might be living at the McCall house. At least some nights a week. Liam’s father has seen him hanging around the hospital on occasion, sometimes helping out in their wing, sometimes simply taking a nap in Melissa’s office.  

They always show up to pack meetings together, and she seems fond of him. Gentler. And while Argent used to keep a watchful eye on him in the beginning, right after he switched sides, the softer he’s gotten as time goes on. It could just be because he’s spent time teaching him how to be an actual hunter, a protector who lives by the Argent code, but… Liam doesn’t think so.  

He and Corey pause, exchanging a glance over the table they’re holding aloft. Mason frowns at them. “What is it?” 

They both turn their heads to see Nolan edge his way into the room. He lifts one hand in an awkward, shy wave. “Hi guys.” 

There’s a tense second before Mason steps forward, grinning. “Nolan, my man! Just in time. Wanna help me boss around Liam and Corey?” 

Liam makes an undignified noise, while Corey snickers. “You wish.” 

“Sorry, what I meant to say was—would you like to stand with me and look pretty while the supers do all the work?” Mason winks, slinging an arm around the kid’s shoulders as he approaches. It brings a smile to his lips, and a hint of colour to his cheeks.  

Liam rolls his eyes fondly a his best friend. “Why don’t you both make yourselves useful and set up some chairs?” 

“Lift a finger?” Mason sighs dramatically. “In my own home?” 

“Mason…” Liam smirks, flashing his eyes to gold. The humans let out twin gasps. They both know he doesn’t mean any harm by it, but they still detach, looking convinced.  

“Alright! Alright!” His best friend laughs, shaking his head and heading for the stack of chairs his father brought up from the basement. “No need to get your fur all matted about it.” 

That seems to break the ice, as the four boys all find themselves laughing amicably as they move about. By the time the rest of the council has arrived, they’ve set up a nice rectangle in the large dining room, with enough seats for twenty-four people.  

Well, most of the council. Deaton appears to be running late, and Theo is nowhere to be found. Liam’s sent him two texts already, but isn’t all that bothered that he hasn’t called or answered. He’s come to expect this sort of disappearing act. Normally, it pisses him off more than he’d like to admit, but given that he’s still a little annoyed about last night, he brushes it off.  

Theo had stayed for dinner, but rather than watch a movie or play games with him like usual, he’d washed up and left. It had been clear from the way he hadn’t been able to make eye contact with the werewolf that he’d been avoiding him, and seeing as Liam was still angry about… whatever the hell he’d walked in on in his hallway, that suited him just fine.  

Or so he tells himself, anyway. The closer it gets to the meeting time with the Pride, the more irritated he gets. Like an itch under his skin, a discomfort he can’t sweat out. There’s a soft growl building beneath the surface, so he closes his eyes and inhales deeply to try and tamper it. In doing so, he seeks out the rest of his packmates by scent and sound, hoping to reassure whatever part of him it is that’s upset.  

Mason is in the kitchen doorway, discussing what refreshments can be brought out with his mother and Mrs McCall. Nolan’s hovering near the front door, straining on the tips of his toes to see out the high window, heartbeat a nervous flutter. Corey’s across the room, mid-conversation with Finstock about the current lacrosse season.  

Each one seemingly tugs a small, invisible chord deep in Liam’s chest, tying them together and anchoring him to them like the pack bond is a real, palpable thing.  

But there’s a gap in the formula. A string that’s loose, a piece that’s missing from the puzzle. And though Liam knows it’s ridiculous, because none of them are connected like him and Scott are—least of all Theo—it’s still a strange feeling he can’t shake. Ghostly, like a word on the tip of his tongue or something just out of reach.  

Liam sighs, metaphorically stuffing his irritation in his back pocket to focus on more important things, and the inhale brings him the scent of sea salt and something distinctly floral—heather, he remembers Lyana explaining two days ago. His breath catches, and he hears Nolan mirror the move in the other room. His ears pick up the creak of the front door follows, and then the human’s quiet, “oh, uh, hi?” 

Liam’s in motion before his sister’s voice has filled the front hall. “Hi! I’m Lyana. I believe I’m expected?” 

“Wow,” Nolan breathes, and as Liam rounds the corner, he watches the kid’s brain catch up with his mouth and a fierce blush spread across his cheeks. “I mean, you look—you look just like him.” 

Lyana’s laugh is delighted, and just the slightest bit teasing. “Aye, that tends to happen with siblings.” 

Nolan’s redness intensifies, but it goes unnoticed by the werecat as she steps past him and into the house. For a moment, Liam holds his breath, expecting more people to follow her in. He’s disappointed for more reasons than one when only his birth father steps through the door after her, and slowly, Nolan closes it.  

Her green eyes practically sparkle when she spots her brother, her tone of voice shifting to genuine excitement. “Liam!” 

“Hey,” he says, holding out an arm to catch her as she crashes against him, looping hers around his neck in a tight hug. He chuckles. “You saw me like, less than twelve hours ago you know.” 

“Aye, but I’ve got more than twelve years ta make up for, don’t I?” She gives him a squeeze, then holds him at arm’s length, a bright smile woven across her lips. Sometimes, when he looks at her, it’s hard to see the little girl he remembers. But other times, like right now, it’s easy. It’s like no time has passed at all.  

His smile is crooked, and a little sad as he nods. “Yeah, you do.” Then, it clicks that she’s  _here_  and he frowns, glancing past her to see Todd awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other on the welcome mat, waiting to be acknowledged. Liam doesn’t bother, directing his question at his sister instead. “What are you guys doing here?” 

Lyana snorts. “The meeting?” 

“Oh,” Liam says dumbly, then pulls his phone from his pocket to check the time. “You’re early. And alone.” 

He vaguely hears Todd clear his throat.  

“I meant—” Liam looks at him, askance, then shrugs at Lyana. “I figured you’d arrive with the Pride, y’know? Present a united front?” 

“I told you, I’m here for my family first.” She reaches out, looping her fingers with his, corner of her lips curving up. “Besides, I wanted to meet your friends beforehand, unofficially. As your sister, as opposed to a member of the Pride. I thought I’d make a better impression that way and avoid getting attacked again, see if maybe Theo was just a fluke.” 

“He most certainly is.” They both turn to see Mason stroll up. He offers his hand with a toothy smile. “Hi, I’m Mason. Liam’s best friend, resident badass human and owner of this fine establishment.” 

“It’s your parents’ house,” Liam mutters under his breath. Mason’s thousand watt smile doesn’t dim, but his foot comes down with a fair bit of oomph on the werewolf’s foot.  

“I’m Lyana,” his sister grins, excitedly shaking his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you, so I’m kind of hoping this is just you being friendly and not hitting on me, because if so, I’m gay.” 

Liam makes a choking noise.  

“Oh, dude! Same!” Mason grins enthusiastically. He waves his hand to his left, into the empty space there. “Meet my boyfriend, Corey.” 

The werechameleon materializes a split second later, grinning from ear to ear as Lyana startles, stepping back a foot.  

“Holy shit! That’s wicked.” Corey beams, offering her his hand, which she takes with delight. “Cait’s gonna love you.”  

“Thanks, I think,” he blushes, rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand.  

She tilts her head, nostrils flaring, and her surprise dims a little. She looks curious, like she’s trying to figure something out. “You’re another experiment, aren’t you?” 

“Lyana!” Liam hisses, smacking his sister’s arm. Corey’s blush deepens, but he doesn’t look offended.  

“I am, yeah. Theo tell you?” 

“More or less. He smelled different to regular shifters.” Her eyes narrow, assessing. “So do you. I smell coyote, but…” 

“Wait, coyote?” Liam perks up, frowning.  

Corey shifts awkwardly from foot to foot. “Yeah, Chimeras are a mix, remember?” 

“Well, yeah, but…” he trails off, blinking owlishly at the other boy. His gaze drifts to Mason. “Did you know about this?” 

The human looks just as dumbfounded, staring at his boyfriend, perplexed. “You’ve never said anything.” 

Corey simply shrugs. “You guys never asked.” His mouth quirks into a wry smile. “The chameleon half is more prominent anyway. The coyote I just… I feel, sometimes. It’s this instinctive tug, somewhere inside of me. Like when you roar. Or when… when I’m around another coyote. ” 

“Like Malia?” Liam offers.  

Corey nods, then his eyes dart to his toes. “Or Theo.” 

 _Oh._  

A quiet silence thickens the air between them after that, for longer than it probably should. Liam watches as Mason reaches over, taking Corey’s hand and offering him a reassuring smile. Behind them, Nolan just looks spooked, the same way he always does when they get into supernatural specifics. There’s a lot he still doesn’t understand.  

There’s a lot  _Liam_ still doesn’t understand, when he stops to think about it. But this sort of makes sense, in hindsight. He remembers a conversation with Malia and Scott, after they’d banished the Ghost Riders and sat down to decide Theo’s fate. The fierce girl had pointed out that she was reluctant to trust him, no matter what her coyote had been telling her. She’d gone on to explain that like the call of a wolf pack, she felt some sort of faint, trust-building calm around Theo. She’d said his matching half been to blame.  

And then he remembers how easy Corey had trusted Theo after he’d raised the boy from the dead, how long he’d stayed by his side despite his bond with Mason and Hayden’s defection to their side.  

Liam shakes his head. Dwelling in the past doesn’t change anything, and it doesn’t exactly help at present with his cat problem and the tardy chimera in question.  

“I guess we’ve never really thought about it,” Mason shrugs, his voice drawing Liam back to the here and now, his attention snapping to the green eyes focused on him. Lyana’s face is twisted with concern, one brow raised. “Chimeras always seemed to have a more dominant half we focused on, so we kind of forgot there was another one beneath the surface.” 

Josh had wielded the electricity of eel, and Hayden had shown her jaguar spots and talked about her connection to the Berserker chimera. And Tracy… well, it had been difficult to think there was anything beneath the layer of Kanima with her.  

Liam clears his throat, dismissing the shudder that threatens to ripple through his shoulders at the memory of the lizard tail and scales. “Well, come on sis,” he fixes her with a bright smile he mostly means, and tugs her by the hand, back towards the meeting room. “Let’s introduce you to the rest of the team.” 

He hears Mason’s soft snort behind them.  

“Council!” Liam corrects loudly, throwing his free hand into the air. “Whatever!” 

His best friend falls into full on laughter after that.  

Slowly, Liam walks Lyana around the room, introducing her to everyone, Todd trailing awkwardly after them. His mother and father spot them the moment they exit the kitchen, carrying trays of puff pastries that smell vaguely like breakfast. Mason’s mother follows behind with a rolling cart of coffee and paper cups. Liam smiles softly as his sister races over, giving their mother an equally affectionate hug, then offer David the same.  

And then, his nose picks up the faint scent of wet dog and something deeply earthy, like the smell deep in the middle of a forest. The loose string in his chest goes taut, and then Nolan leads two newcomers into the room.  

Deaton and Theo. The last two remaining council pack members.  

He watches as Theo pockets his keys, and Deaton says something quietly to him before slipping away, headed for his parents and Todd.  

Liam’s brows furrow. Had they… shown up together? 

“Probably,” Mason whispers, directly beside him, and Liam nearly jumps out of his skin. So much for heightened senses. And being able to think something and not say it out loud, like an idiot. “Maybe he had a shift?” 

“A what?” The word is thick on his tongue, feeling foreign. When he tears his eyes away from the chimera, who’s now making awkward, quiet conversation with Nolan as opposed to walking over to join them, Mason looks a little surprised.  

“A shift,” the human repeats. “At the animal clinic?” 

“Why would he…” Liam’s voice dies in his throat as suddenly, the pieces start coming together.  

“Oh my god,” Mason’s eyes widen, amused smile painting its way across his lips. “He’s been working evenings there since the others left. You didn’t know?” 

“Obviously not, he’s been dodging my questions about what he does in his spare time for weeks,” Liam mutters, and he knows it’s loud enough for Theo’s ears to pick up when the other boy throws him a look. Cautious, but far from guilty. The werewolf’s anger bubbles. “How did you know?!” 

Mason winces. “I’ve seen him leaving the clinic a few times when I head over for my lessons with Deaton. On Friday I was early and he was closing up.” 

 _You’ve got company, and I’ve got places to be._  

So that explained what he was doing after school, at least. Working the clinic with Deaton. Scott’s old job.  

There’s a weird, warm twist in the middle of Liam’s chest at the thought. At the image of Theo working to calm small dogs while Deaton checks them over, or manning the front counter. Of sweeping up behind a trim, or feeding the boarded animals in the back. Something so domestic, so caring, it throws him off for a moment.  

Theo has a  _job._  

 _“_ Yes, I do.” The older boy’s voice drifts over from across the room and Liam locks eyes with him, freezing. He feels his face heat and he’s honestly not sure what’s worse. The fact that his brain and mouth can’t ever seem to agree on  _what_  he says out loud or in his head, or the fact that Theo’s heightened hearing has picked up their entire conversation. About  _him._  

“Fuck.” Liam lifts a hand to wave and finally acknowledge him, incredibly embarrassed. “Sorry.” 

Theo‘s smirk is faint. “Is it really so surprising?” One brow is raised to accentuate the question. Beside him, Nolan’s eyes widen, and he looks back and forth between the two.  

“I guess not,” Liam shrugs. He notices Mason and Corey make the connection, realize that he’s not talking to them anymore, and they both snicker. “But why didn’t you say anything all those times I asked?” 

The smirk dissolves into uncertainty. Slowly, he purses his lips, his shoulders bunching with discomfort. His lips part to answer the question—but then the doorbell rings.  

“Oh boy,” Mason says.  

 _Here we go._  

* * *

 

Theo’s always fancied himself a cat person, growing up. Sometimes, on their walk home from school, he and Tara would be accompanied by one of the neighbourhood cats. They loved him, always gravitated towards them. Tara often had to chase them off before their house was in sight so their father wouldn’t see and get angry.  

They’d sit under the covers in his bed at night and whisper about their futures, about the houses they’d buy and the cities they’d live in. Tara wanted to open a bakery, raise kids with someone she loved, or adopt and love them all the same. Theo didn’t like the idea of kids, too scared to end up like their dad—but he never told his sister that. Instead, he regaled her with stories of the cats he’d own. Athena and Artemis and Apollo. Alliterative names, like the two of them, even though he hadn’t known the word at that age.  

He’d talked about building them perches and jungle gyms all throughout the house, like he’d seen online. He liked building things with his hands, in crafts classes. And he liked history, and big, fantastical stories of gods and monsters, so the names.  

Theo isn’t that little boy anymore. He doesn’t have hopes or dreams or plans for a future. He lives in the here and now and just tries to make it through the week. And cats? Well… he’s starting to rethink that decision too.  

The Pride’s entrance to the meeting is, almost literally, a catwalk. A total fucking scene.  

Theo does his damndest to meld into the furthest corner, doing his best imitation of the quiet and easily dismissed Corey in an attempt to not be noticed. He leans back against the wall behind where the Beacon Council will sit, arms crossed and sunken into his hoodie, but it doesn’t do him any good.  

The moment the first werecat crosses the threshold into the large dining area, she pulls to a slow stop, surveying the group gathered before her. Her nose twitches, and then her gaze finds him. It’s the woman who’d been leaning against the red coupe. The Alpha.  

One brow raises, and the corner of her lips turn upwards. The smirk looks predatory and sets the hair on the back of his neck standing. Especially when she’s so small, far shorter than he’d thought she was the day before. But then, he’d only glanced at her in passing on a speedy retreat to his car, away from…  

And then the rest of them troupe in.  

The tall, muscular blond is first. The douchey sunglasses are still very much present, and he comes to a stop just beside his Alpha. A laughable sight, considering how she barely reaches his shoulders. He pulls his sunglasses down his nose enough to reveal sparkling blue eyes, one of which winks in Theo’s direction before disappearing behind lenses. The chimera is vaguely aware of Liam turning to stare at him, but he clenches his jaw and ignores the urge to look away. He takes it as a personal challenge, the refusal to show weakness.  

But it’s the woman on the Alpha’s other side that looks truly formidable. The one from the cereal aisle.  

She’d been in a jacket at the grocery store, hidden away beneath leather and the smell of motor oil. Now, in a sleeveless tank and military-cut pants, her muscles are on full display, arms crossed over her chest. She towers over her Alpha, even makes Douche Glasses’ arms look like pool noodles. But it’s the hard, assessing state that really liquifies Theo’s insides. Like a stone-faced Derek, only much scarier.  

From behind her comes the curly-haired, lanky shifter with an easy grin, dipping his head in greeting towards the room. And on the far side, playfully knocking her shoulder against the douche-shifter is the pink-haired girl, the slightly younger Liam lookalike just barely visible over her shoulder. He seems shy, hovering on the edge of the group.  

Lyana moves to meet them, tugging Liam along behind her. “Hullo, Liam!” The dark-skinned girl grins, throwing her arms around him in a hug. “Lya’s told me so much!” 

Liam lets out a shaky, nervous laugh. His hands pat her back awkwardly. “Guess that puts us at a disadvantage, since I didn’t know you existed twenty four hours ago.” 

“Aye, that’s why we’re here!” She says brightly.  

“Catriona.” The word is tight, clipped, and all authority. The girl’s eyes flicker over to her Alpha, and she stands a little straighter, clearing her throat. “We are here to make a good impression. Ignoring our hosts in their own home for pleasantries is wee bit rude, no?” 

“Aye. Sorry, Ma!” The girl winces, bowing her head in the direction of the council. There’s a hint of a smile on both Camille and Jenna’s lips as they step forward.  

“It’s alright, Rhona,” Jenna says, and the Alpha’s gaze softens almost immediately. “You can blame my kids for the distraction.” 

“Jen,” the short woman grins, eyes bright. She dips her head in greeting. “A sight for sore eyes, you.” 

Jenna laughs, stepping forward and wrapping the Alpha in a friendly hug. “It’s been a long time.” She pulls back, smiling as she waves a hand to the woman standing to her left. “This is Camille Hewitt, our mayor and head of the council.” 

“Well met,” Rhona says. “Thank you for allowing us into your home.” 

“Of course,” Camille nods. “It’s certainly one of the most unique council meetings I’ve had to host in my own house before, but then again, I suppose that’s just par for the course nowadays, isn’t it?” 

Quickly, they introduce her to the rest of the group, and then everyone takes their seats. The three tables are set up in a U shape, and the humans of Beacon Hills purposefully take the long one at the head. As mediators, as support, almost as judges of two debate teams. Theo nearly shudders at the prospect. 

The pride then takes the table on the right, closest to the door and exit. Rhona picks the seat in the middle, and with effortless grace, her cats surround her, but not all of them take seats. The pink-haired girl—her daughter, Theo now realizes, seeing the resemblance—stands at her back, one hand on Rhona’s shoulder. Liam’s birth father sits to his Alpha’s right, while Douche Glasses takes the seat to her left, and the large, muscular woman stands tall behind him, like a statue. Lyana sits beside her father, the lanky tomcat with curly hair leaning on the back of her chair, and finally, the short boy that looks like a slightly younger Liam sits at the other end, next to Douche Glasses. He looks almost laughably small in comparison to the larger cats next to him. 

Slowly, deliberately, Deaton matches up the pack to the pride’s seating. Liam sits directly opposite Rhona, and Theo can tell from the way he clenches and unclenches his hands on his lap, out of sight, that he’s nervous about being placed in the position of Alpha. He feels a little tug in his chest at the sight of Liam’s discomfort, the same tug he’d felt standing across the room from him, Mason and Corey, but Theo reminds himself it’s not his responsibility. He hangs back, feeling awkwardly out of place as they fill the rest of the table.  

Mason to Liam’s left, opposite Todd. He also looks nervous about the position, knowing full well what it means, but he hasn’t been learning from Deaton for nothing. Corey ends up next to his boyfriend, across from Lyana, while Nolan is ushered into the seat across from the young tomcat. The matchups all make sense, and Theo understands them.  

Except that the seat to Liam’s right remains empty, and Deaton turns to him with a frown. He waves him over. “Theo.” 

He hesitates, a deer caught in headlights. He’d be opposite Douche Glasses, who he recalls was outside the grocery store with Rhona, waiting for their pride. Her second in command. A role that carries a tremendous amount of weight, and requires a lot of trust. Something he’s not really sure he’s deserving of.  

But Theo takes one look at Liam’s almost insistent, pleading eyes just over Deaton’s shoulder and his doubt evaporates. He steps forward and takes a seat, watching the tension bleed out of Liam’s shoulders slowly. His blue eyes soften, the panic washing out for relief. Theo moves without thinking, knocking his knee against the younger wolf’s. 

The change is subtle, but immediate.  

Liam’s hands stop fidgeting, and he lifts them to rest on the table in front of him, mirroring the diplomatic fold Rhona’s fingers have relaxed into. He sits up straight, and turns a welcoming smile on the werecats gathered before them. He clears his throat, and Theo catches Lyana’s small nod from across the room.  

“Welcome, to this meeting and to Beacon Hills. My name is Liam, and we’re part of the McCall Pack,” Liam starts, and Theo straightens at the tone he uses. 

He’s heard it only a few times from the beta, but every time, the wolf in his chest stands to attention. In the hospital, when he swore he’d go down fighting against the Ghost Riders. Months later, when he’d cooked up the zoo plan and delegated tasks to Mason, Corey and Theo himself. And when he’d told Monroe over the radio that they’d won. Those few times where Liam takes the lead, steps into his Alpha’s shoes, and proves he’s more than just a young beta.  

Theo doesn’t know what it means that he reacts to it, but he feels compelled to listen as Liam introduces them to the werecats, starting with Mason and Theo and working his way outwards to the council. The wolf in his chest preens at being included as part of the pack, while his coyote recoils at these strangers knowing that small kernel of info about him. 

Rhona thanks them for their warm welcome, saying she’d heard a lot about the formidable McCall Pack, but it was a very different thing seeing them all together like this. Then she evens the playing field by introducing her pride, working her way inwards from the freshest face to her second in command. As Theo expected, it works much more like a job fair than a friendly introduction.  

The Liam look alike's name is Max, and he’s young. Just pushing sixteen and recently turned by a stray tomcat, he’s Rhona’s newest adoptee, but he’s strong, and works well with Lyana and Catriona, the former of whom smiles softly over at him when their Alpha turns the spotlight on him.  

Irvine is the tall, lanky cat with curly hair. His accent is incredibly thick, and Theo has a hard time understanding him when he greets them.  _Gled_ _tae_ _meet ye!_ He’s been with them for five years, but is the best informant they’ve ever had. A natural chameleon, blending into crowds and groups of people just about anywhere, and charismatic enough to make them think he belongs.  

Lyana seems to sit straighter as her Alpha talks over her people skills and her smooth, almost liquid stealth prowess. Good at sneaking around, gathering information, and reading people’s body language. All Theo hears is  _spy._ He reminds himself he needs to be more on guard around her, if last night taught him anything.  

Todd gets a glowing introduction that includes words like  _oldest friend_  and  _trusted advisor_ that Theo doesn’t feel he deserves, and judging from the tightness in Liam’s jaw—he doesn’t either. But both grit their teeth and nod politely when required. 

Catriona’s introduction is quick and short, just enough to tell them she’s Rhona’s daughter, and will make a formidable Alpha in her own right, one day.  

The muscular woman goes by McKenna, and she’s the pride’s top Enforcer, maybe even the best in Scotland’s entire werecat community. She’d been one of the three to defect from Rhona’s father, and follow the petite woman on her own path. The muscle. The heavy lifter. The most dangerous person in this room, Theo suspects, aside from possibly Rhona herself. She certainly looks like she could crush any of them into dust without breaking a sweat.  

And finally, Douche Glasses, her second, who has a name nearly as ridiculous as the things he’s still wearing indoors, in Theo’s opinion. Boone.  _Ugh._ He barely resists rolling his eyes. Rhona explains he’s far more experienced than his youthful face would give him credit for. This time, as he slides the glasses up onto his head, mussing his hair and surveying the room, Theo catches sight of the short claw marks over his right eye—which seems to be a lighter colour than the left.  

As he opens his mouth, several brows in the room rise up into hairlines.  

“It’s a pleasure,” he grins, words spoken with a southern drawl.  

“Oh,” Liam says, face scrunching into a frown. “You’re not Scottish.” 

“Keen ears, pup,” Douche Glasses winks, and Theo feels his jaw tighten. “American made, born in Texas.” 

“What’s an American tomcat doing in a Scottish pride?” Theo speaks up, suspicion clear in his tone. 

“Rhona’s good people,” he says, glancing towards his Alpha. She gives him a nearly imperceptible nod, and he clears his throat, focusing his piercing gaze on the chimera. “She took me in, saw past the indiscretions that got me excommunicated back home to the skills and loyalty I had to offer. She’s been more like family than my own stateside blood for thirteen years.” 

Theo’s chest tightens. He doesn’t like the look Douche Glasses is giving him, not one bit. It’s far too knowing, but the knowledge that he’d been taken in by another group after doing something bad enough to get him cast out… the parallel makes him uncomfortable, at best.  

“We thank you for your hospitality and welcome,” Rhona says finally. “We understand it might be a little difficult to trust outsiders after your recent experiences.” 

“Easier when they come through family,” Liam acknowledges.  

Rhona smiles, and it’s the warmest look Theo’s seen her wear yet. “It’s why I sent Lyana to you first, to ease our arrival.” Then the familiar predatory grin returns as she shifts her gaze slightly to him. “For most of you, at least. I’m afraid we might have ruffled fur where your eldest is concerned.” 

Theo sits up straighter, shoulders solid and unflinching. Liam sends him a sidelong glance, then smiles, lifting his chin. “Theo’s pretty hard to scare, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about there. He just recognized the threat you might pose and came to report.” 

There’s a swell in his chest, something light and warm, brought on by Liam’s words of defence. He tries to tamper it, but the corner of his lips still turn up slightly. “Yeah, well. I still probably wouldn’t want to meet them in a back alley.” 

“Wise,” Rhona smiles, and it’s all teeth. “But we pose you no threat. We’re here to help.” 

“Thanks,” Liam chuckles, looking towards the council and back. “But—and I mean no disrespect here—I’m not sure we need it? The Hunters are gone. We know Monroe’s still out there, but she has no influence in Beacon Hills anymore. We’ve got it covered, and have spent the weeks since the war rebuilding human and supernatural relationships. I’d say it’s better than ever before.” 

Rhona blinks. Her brows furrow. And then slowly, like molasses, she turns to look at Liam’s birth father. Her eyes narrow, and Theo watches his shoulders stiffen, as if he can sense her gaze.  

“ _Bràthair…_ ” Rhona says, and though the word is foreign to him, her tone certainly isn’t. It’s an abrasive warning, one that matches the fire burning in her eyes. “Why exactly did you tell your family we were here?” 

Todd’s face twists with guilt. “I didn’t.” 

Lyana leans forward, around her father, to speak to her Alpha. Her brows are pulled into a frown. “I told them we were here to see them.” She pauses, seeing the conflicted look on the woman’s face. “I  _am_ here to see them, aren’t I?” 

“Rhona,” Deaton speaks, drawing all eyes his way. It’s the first time anyone from the council has spoken since they introduced themselves, respecting the pack’s place and letting them do all the talking as they observed. “You brought the strongest members of your pride to our city… I can’t imagine that’s just for a friendly visit.” 

“Correct as always, Alan,” she nods. As Rhona speaks, her eyes travel the whole room. “We dealt with hunters in our own city, a faction of the forces here, like most supernatural settlements around the globe. When they were done and all cleared out, our druid circle convened to speak to the Nemeton. They drew upon it’s power and asked it how the rest of the world had fared. Every Nemeton sent back an all clear—except yours.”  

Theo’s pulse ices. Beside him, Liam is close enough he can  _feel_ the boy tense up.  

“What does that mean?” the stand-in Alpha asks, his voice wavering with uncertainty.  

Rhona’s gaze settles on him, and she offers a steely smile. “It means something is coming, Liam Dunbar, and Beacon Hills is in danger.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bràthair is literally just Brother in Scottish Gaelic. Also, please have a [reference post](http://eliestarr.tumblr.com/post/177990803500/central-scotland-werecat-pride-fic-open-the) for all the cats because yes, I did cast them. Months ago. And have been kicking myself for not getting to this part faster because of it.
> 
> Also my apologies, I know this chapter was fairly boring and slow. But next chapter, pack-pride shenanigans!


	5. kids just wanna have fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faced with the permanence of the werecats in Beacon Hills, at least for the time being while they try to uncover whatever threat is coming, Liam gets the idea to do some fun pride-pack bonding. Shenanigans ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> should I be working on BB? yes. am I doing that? yes, but this needed to get done so that next week, a super special Halloween chapter can be released >:)

Monday is a complete write off for Liam.

He tries to concentrate at school. Really, he does. But nothing sticks. And it’s not even because he’d stayed up late with Mason and Corey in a group call, discussing the Pride and the information they’d brought over.

It’s because he spends most of the day making _plans_ with said werecats. Well, the youngest ones anyway. Max and Cait and his sister.

After all, Lyana really is here to see her family. To spend time with him and his mom and David. No matter what lies ahead, whatever the Nemeton sees coming, she wants to enjoy her time in Beacon Hills with her brother. And she wants _both_ her families to connect. Not Todd—she made it clear she won’t ask that of Liam if he doesn’t want it—but the cats. Her closest friends. Her pack.

Around mid-morning Liam makes a group chat with his best friend and sister, who adds Cait, and almost instantly the conversation explodes. After that, Corey, Max and Nolan trickle in and get added. Liam hovers Theo’s name for several long seconds before throwing him in too. Someone (Mason, he thinks) names the thing Pack-Pride Bonding 101, and they start tossing out ideas of fun things to do in Beacon Hills.

It makes Liam painfully aware when he has little to suggest that it’s been a very long time since they’ve done anything _fun._ Anything other than fight for their lives and deal with one supernatural threat after another. The week of relaxation with the senior pack after the war feels like another lifetime. He almost doesn’t remember what it feels like to be a normal teenager.

_“Liam!”_

Nevermind.

His head snaps up to see Mrs. Finch glaring at him from the front of the class, chalk held tightly in her right hand. It trembles a little bit, and Liam wonders not for the first time how the woman had the strength to come back after Quinn’s death. She’d taken a small leave of absence to grieve, but they hadn’t had a substitute teacher for very long before she’d returned, a little softer around the edges.

She’d been kinder to him, though. Cut him more slack in class. Told him she was aware that running the only real pack left in Beacon Hills was a big job. In return, he’d said that she was always welcome with them, if she needed anything. Deaton had told him that even an Alpha could lose strength without a pack, as little more than an omega.

Someone snickers to his right. He thinks it might be Corey.

“Sorry, Mrs. Finch,” he winces, and pockets his phone. He can feel it buzzing, still.

By lunch he has about fifty messages to sort through.

“How did _you_ not get caught?” He hisses to Corey as they exit Biology and make their way down the hall towards the quad.

The other boy shrugs, lopsided grin in place. “I made my hand invisible.”

Liam groans, and the chameleon’s laugh echoes off the lockers as they head off in search of Mason and Nolan. They find them at the usual table, lunches already partially unpacked. As Corey slides into the seat beside his boyfriend, he’s greeted by a wrapped sandwich and a kiss.

“How come Alfreda never sends _me_ food anymore, Mase?” Liam mock-pouts. “Like she did in elementary school?”

Before his mom had met David, she had worked long hours in order to feed and clothe them both on her own, so Liam had spent early mornings and after school evenings at the Hewitts. And their resident chef Alfreda—Mason’s nanny, on occasion, and by extension Liam’s—had made his lunches for him. For both of them.

It’s not like Liam’s actually complaining, just teasing. He’s got leftovers from last night’s delicious casserole, and he’s absolutely looking forward to them. He loves his mom’s cooking. Both his parents, actually. David makes an amazing pad thai when he has time.

“You gonna suck my dick when I’m sad?” Mason raises a singular brow. Nolan makes a choking noise, then coughs and thumps his chest to clear it. Liam looks up from the fork paused halfway en route to his mouth with macaroni noodles.

Corey’s grinning into his sandwich, silent as ever, and Mason doesn’t break eye contact as he reaches for a carrot out of his snack bag with a grin.

“...No?” Liam says slowly.

“Well, there you go.” And the crunch of carrot almost has a tone of finality to it.

“Mase, I’m pretty sure that’s some sort of prostitution.”

“Nonsense. Sucking my dick is absolutely free. It just comes with the added benefit of lunches,” Mason shrugs.

Nolan makes a second choking nose, this time dissolving into a fit of coughing. He pats at his chest repeatedly, trying to clear whatever he’s apparently managed to lodge in his throat. The three of them smile at his lack of finesse and subtlety, and Liam reaches over to thump him on the back. Just the once, and with the tiniest bit of super strength.

The human spits out a piece of chicken onto the table next to his plate. He wheezes, looking at the three of them in turn, eyes wide. “Um,” he says, gaze darting to Liam. “Thanks.”

“Dude,” the werewolf laughs, patting Nolan on the shoulder, this time softly. “Learn to chew.”

All of their phones collectively buzz at once, and he glances down to see it’s now fifty- _two_ unread messages. Liam groans. “You guys are killing me. I thought you and Lyana were hard to keep up with but Cait? _God_. And you—” he points an accusatory finger at Corey. “Your memes keep throwing us off.”

The werechameleon bats his lashes innocently, grin full of sandwich as he shrugs.

“They want to know where we’re going tonight,” Mason hums matter-of-factly. “And so do I.”

“Tonight?” Liam frowns, the word slurred around a mouthful of pasta. He swallows, brows furrowing. “I thought we wanted to do something tomorrow night?”

“We do.” Mason’s dome is patient, as always. Liam knows repeating himself is probably annoying, but he can get the information out of him a lot faster than he can reading through a chaotic group chat. “But it’s kind of an even split between bowling and laser tag, so we figured…”

Liam’s frown hardens into a scowl. “We do one tonight and one tomorrow?”

Mason’s grin is ecstatic, Nolan and Corey nodding their endorsement.

“Back to back?” He pokes at his food, tone unsure.

“Well, we have the Halloween party on Friday, and we _do_ need to finish homework before then,” his best friend points out.

“We may as well have our fun now and crack down for the rest of the week,” Corey adds.

Liam looks between the two, eyes narrowing. “This has already been decided, hasn’t it?”

Their twin smiles of innocence aren’t fooling anyone.

“Pretty much. We just need you to pick where first,” Nolan says from beside him, and though his face gathers up a little more worry, creased in the lines of his hesitant smile, he sounds fairly sure of himself. They really are doing wonders for his confidence, Liam thinks.

Which is good, considering they’re going to be hanging out with a bunch of werecats, and Liam gets the feeling they’re not nearly as laid back when their Alpha isn’t around. He knows his sister certainly isn’t, anyway.

He just hopes it goes well. He knows it should be easy, introducing two groups of friends to one another, but he’s never really had to do this with two different _species._ And considering the fact that Theo and Lyana had gotten off on the wrong foot…

“Wait,” Liam says, putting down the bite of casserole he’d just picked up while thinking. “You said you guys were tied on where to go?”

“Yeah,” Mason nods. “I suggested bowling, and Max and Nolan agree.”

“But your sister wants to hit up laser tag,” Corey smiles, and it’s wicked. Mischievous. “Cait and I think it’d be fun.”

“That’s because shifters see in the dark and you can literally turn invisible,” Mason mutters, throwing him a look. He motions between himself and Nolan, across the table. “We’d get slaughtered.”

“It’s not like we’d use our powers!” Corey argues. “There’d be other people there, probably.”

“And if there isn’t?” Mason’s eyes narrow, slowly. Dangerously.

Corey’s answering smile says enough.

“What about Theo?” Liam draws their attention back to him. Their interlude gave him enough time to scarf down most of his casserole. There’s only one or two bites left, and he offers it to Nolan without even looking. He can practically feel his eyes boring into the side of his face when he thinks Liam isn’t looking, not to mention that his ears pick up the rumbling stomach the boy’s got without even trying.

“What about him?” Mason frowns.

“I take it he didn’t vote,” Liam points out. “Since there’s an even split.”

Mason and Corey exchange a look. The latter breaks it first, offering Liam an awkward smile.

“He left the group chat like ten minutes after it started.”

“Oh. What?” Liam reaches for his phone, opening the chat and scrolling upwards. Sure enough, there’s a very obvious _Theo Raeken has left the chat_ high up in the beginning. He’s not sure how he missed that. Liam frowns at his friends. “Why?”

Mason shrugs. “We were hoping you could tell us.”

“I mean, we were probably super annoying,” Corey says, picking up the last of his boyfriend’s carrots and absently chewing at it. “And he has work.”

“Right now?” Liam tilts his head. “I thought he only worked evenings with Deaton.”

Corey’s heart skips an audible beat, nervous laugh bubbling forth from his lips. “Right. That’s what I meant. Like, he probably works tonight, y’know? So he’ll likely just bail.”

Liam’s eyes narrow slightly. Corey’s well aware he has a lie detector built into his werewolf physiology, so he’s not sure why he just lied to Liam’s face. Well, somewhere in there. He couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but the boy definitely knows more than he’s letting on.

He looks to his best friend. “Do you think Deaton will give him the night off?”

“Of course,” Mason nods. “I can always call and ask him, but I’m sure he’ll say yes. I’m not sure if _Theo_ will, though.”

“Let me worry about that,” Liam waves it off, gears already turning in his head. “You make sure the coast is clear with Deaton. Nolan, tell the others we’re going bowling tonight.”

Mason and Nolan cheer, and Corey groans loudly, leaning back in his seat. “Oh, man!”

The grin that stretches across Liam’s lips is mischievous, not unlike the shit-eating grin Theo wears whenever he gains the upper hand in an argument or is presented with the opportunity to poke fun at Liam. “And Corey?”

The chameleon’s eyes lift to meet his. “Hm?”

“You’re handling lane reservations.”

He can see the whites of his eyes as they widen and fill with dread. Corey hates talking to people over the phone. He hates being the sole, single focus of conversation, especially when it’s with a stranger and over the phone. He can’t turn invisible over the phone.

He and Mason and Liam have been working on this, because he knows he has to get better at it. That being a more integral member of the pack isn’t just learning how to fight, but how to communicate and investigate.

Still, as much as he could chalk this up to good practice, they both know it isn’t. Liam’s being a dick, because he clearly knows something he’s not telling. He smiles at Corey as he stands up from the table, a split second before the bell rings.

“Pettiness isn’t a good look on you,” Corey tells him, but there’s a hint of a smile on his lips, so Liam knows it’s in good humour.

“Sure is comfortable, though,” Liam shrugs.

* * *

It takes a bit of convincing to get Theo to agree to tonight. Some mild bribery in the form of two home cooked meals, a book he’s been eyeing for weeks on Liam’s shelf, and $55 of the beta’s own money.

Liam’s pretty sure he’d just wanted monetary compensation for having to miss two shifts, but he hadn’t that much spare cash to his name, so he’d had to improvise. And though typically getting Theo to come over for dinner is like trying to pull teeth, he accepts it without much griping this time around.

It’s so easy, in fact, that Liam is practically vibrating with excitement when Theo picks him up after school.

“You’re in a good mood,” Theo frowns at him as he clambers into the truck with a bright and enthusiastic _hello!_

Liam blinks, seatbelt halfway to its home. He glances up to see raised brows and mild surprise in the chimera’s green eyes. “Should I not be?” He taps his palms against his thighs. “Team bonding sounds fun! And I’m a fan of bowling _and_ laser tag, so it’s win-win for me.”

“Right,” Theo says tightly, lips pursed. “I just meant…”

Something crosses over his face then, something Liam can’t quite make out. His nose wrinkles slightly, and he shakes his head, clearing the thought out. He slides the gear shift out of park, and reverses his truck. “Nevermind.” His sigh sounds heavy, carrying the weight of something unsaid. Liam thinks to ask, but as usual, Theo deflects. “So, what’s for dinner?”

“Dad’s making lasagna, I think.” His stomach grumbles, clearly excited by the prospect of this subject change.

“Cool,” Theo nods, sounding less enthused than Liam thinks he should be. David’s lasagna is _delicious_. As he continues, Liam thinks the chimera’s tone is almost hesitant, nervous even. “Are we uh, expecting any guests?”

The beta narrows his eyes. Suddenly, it hits him then that he’s still supposed to be angry with Theo for hitting on his sister. Or whatever the hell he’d witnessed in his hallway the other night that had made their typical weekly dinner together awkward as hell. One successful pack-council meeting with Theo seated as his second in command didn’t change that.

Especially when there are still things said right hand is keeping from him. Things that members of his pack might be keeping from him, too.

“No,” Liam says, the word huffed between breaths. He crosses his arms, leaning against the door of the truck. “Lyana’s having dinner with her Pride tonight, sorry.”

He can’t quite keep the petulant, passive aggressive tone out of his voice, and he knows Theo picks up on it when he’s met with an eye roll.

“Liam,” the chimera sighs. “I’m not interested in—”

“Whatever,” Liam snaps, pushing a frustrated breath out of his nose. His stomach twists into knots, and it’s like there’s someone pressing on his chest. He hates it. “It’s not like I care, anyway.”

Theo snorts, and the beta doesn’t need to look over to know he’s wearing a smirk. “Sounds like you do.”

“Well, I don’t.” His growl cuts the other boy off, and he takes a deep breath to calm himself. Recites the words in his head that are as familiar as his own name. “What I _do_ care about is the fact that you didn’t feel you could trust me enough to tell me about working with Deaton.”

A shadow passes over Theo’s face, visible as he uses his right side mirror to turn onto Liam’s street. He’s quiet up until the moment he pulls into park along the boulevard, letting Liam’s statement fester and stew in the silence between them. He kills the engine and sits there, staring at his hands in his lap, not speaking.

Liam, in turn, just watches him. There’s a tightness to his shoulders, his knuckles white on the right hand clenching his keys. His hair’s fallen into his face, slightly curled because his bangs are still a little long, like he hasn’t had a chance to cut them since the Hunter War. His left hand trembles, then curls tightly into a fist.

“I do trust you, Liam,” Theo says, voice quiet. “I trust you more than anyone else.”

When he looks up, his eyes are haunted and sort of glassy, like dim, hollow sockets in the center of his face. He looks exhausted. “More than myself, sometimes.”

The words are spoken to quietly, so softly that Liam would’ve missed them without heightened senses, but they hit him as though he’s run face first into a brick wall. Forceful and sudden. The tightness in his chest snaps and unfurls, like petals on a slow-blooming flower.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Liam whispers back. The words feel far thicker on his tongue than they have any right to, and they echo in the space between them.

There’s only a split second of hesitation before the chimera sighs, the slump to his shoulders looking defeated. “For the same reason I didn’t tell you I’m working at _Adams’ Auto Shop_ during the day—it’s none of your business.”

Liam recoils as if slapped, his brows furrowing. Two jobs? Theo’s been working _two_ jobs? Jesus, that explains so much. About his exhaustion, his irritable behaviour (well, more irritable than usual, anyway), and him going dark during the day. A day job which Corey clearly knows about...

“I think it is,” he says finally, voice tight.

Theo scoffs, shaking his head. “Why?” He asks, and the question bleeds derisiveness. “Because I’m your responsibility?’

The words are biting, but Liam squares his shoulders and sits up straighter.

“Don’t be an asshole.” His sentence carries no vehemence, only gentle, unguarded disappointment. He can feel something in the middle of his chest hum, one of the threads he feels like palpable strings, like physical forces that tie him to his friends and his pack. Most are muted, in many far off directions, but some are closer. Stronger.

Two, in the direction of the Hewitts’ house. One, towards Nolan’s neighborhood in the Heights. And one, the very loudest and shortest string, right here in the truck. Liam follows it on instinct, his fingertips hovering above Theo’s arm. His voice is low and careful. “Because you’re my friend, Theo. And you’re my pack.”

Theo inhales sharply, the single breath like a clap of thunder in Liam’s ears. Deafening and nearly overwhelming. “You mean that?”

Liam’s voice shakes, spoken in the same breath as a nervous chuckle. “I don’t see why you’re surprised. I’ve only been saying it for weeks.”

“Not to me.” There’s a vulnerability in Theo’s eyes he’s not used to seeing.

Liam takes a deep breath, the sigh leaking past his smile. “Well, you are. I wouldn’t be here without you. With the Ghost Riders, with the hunters… there’s a reason Deaton put you in that seat next to me yesterday. You’re important, and you’re pack. So never feel like you can’t tell me something, or like what goes on with you doesn’t matter, okay? Because it does.”

Theo swallows thickly, nodding. He doesn’t seem to have words and truthfully, Liam’s kind of glad. He wants the last word on this one, he thinks.

“Now c’mon,” Liam waves, reaching for the handle to pop open the truck door. “Mom’s been hovering at the front door for like five minutes, waiting for us to come in.”

* * *

Bowling turns out to be less awful than Theo expects it to be. At least, for the first few rounds.

When they get there, Corey tells them that for a Monday night, it was fairly busy, which means he only got them one lane. While Theo is less than delighted at the prospect of sharing a lane with the werecats, everyone else seems pleased. Especially Liam, who declares it the perfect opportunity for pride-pack bonding.

“Wrong as usual, little brother,” Lyana hums, already weighing a bright green bowling ball in one hand. “I think it’s the perfect opportunity to answer the age old question of who’s better?”

She motions to herself, Catriona and Max, the former of whom is busy restringing her laces in a crazy pattern. “Cats.” And then her arm sweeps across them, her grin wicked. “Or dogs.”

Mason’s frown is almost instant, and Theo feels his nose wrinkling with distaste. “That’s hardly fair,” the human says, turning to look at her from where he’s stationed himself in front of the computer, ready to type out all the names. “Nolan and I are humans.”

“Exactly why we’re going to pair you off,” Lyana winks at him. “Things are more fun with a partner, anyway.”

“So, what?” Liam stands up, giving his shoes a once-over now that he’s done tying them. “A human to each team?”

At this, Nolan perks up instantly, pulling away from his quiet conversation with Max. “Oh my god,” he says excitedly. “Does this mean I _finally_ don’t have to be a fifth wheel?”

The words strike a panic in Theo’s chest like a match. He almost chokes on the beer he’d managed to charm his way into despite Liam’s incredibly grumpy protests, and tries to muffle it with an amused snort. It seems to work when no one glances his way—

Except Lyana, anyway. And she’s got a knowing smile on her lips that he really doesn’t like.

Her brother just looks confused. “You’re not a fifth wheel,” he says, placing a hand on Nolan’s shoulder.

The human’s bottom lip juts out a little in a pout. “I kind of am.”

Lyana’s smile turns dangerous, setting off all kinds of alarm bells in Theo’s head. “Well, you won’t be a fifth wheel tonight, kiddo. You’re on our team.”

“Really?” Nolan beams proudly. It’s remarkably like the look of a kid who’s used to getting picked last for sports. Theo wonders how close to the truth he is.

“Of course,” Catriona purrs, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind and resting on his shoulders. His neck and face colour with a fierce blush. “I’ll keep you company, kitten. Come, we’ll even go first!”

Her hand slinks down his arm to grab hold of his and she hoists him to his feet, walking over to the bowling ball selection. To Theo’s left, Mason scrambles the input their names into the first slot on the computer. _Catlan._

Max and Lyana chuckle, shaking their heads. “Oh man,” Max grins, a bright, joyful personality peeking out of the shy shell he’s sat in this whole time. “She’s going to eat him alive.”

“Should we…” Liam sidles up to him, elbow knocking against his. His eyes are trained on Nolan, who is red-faced and clearly flustered as Cait tries to teach him how to hold the ball properly.

“Nah,” Theo snickers. “Maybe it’ll be good for him.”

He can see Nolan practically shaking as Cait stands right up next to him, fingers wrapped around his wrist as she guides his arm in a swing, trying to teach him. The ball goes flying, and he ends up hitting a little over half the pins. He beams excitedly, high-fiving her, and Theo’s eyes trail up to catch his score on the overhead screen.

That’s when he notices the rest of the lane names.

_Morey._

_Myana._

_Thiam._

“Thiam?” He says aloud, at the same time as Liam’s: “Aw, man. We’re last?”

They exchange startled looks, the beta’s eyes wide while Theo’s brows are furrowed.

“I don’t remember agreeing to be your partner,” Theo points out.

Liam’s bottom lip curls outward slightly. “We make a good team, though.”

He remembers the hospital, against the Ghost Riders, fighting in tandem. And against the hunters, months later in the same hallways. He remembers the rush of fighting back to back with the beta, of barely thinking of his next move or Liam’s before one of them was in motion, their teamwork solid and fluid as though they’d been training together for ages.

Something in his chest sings at the prospect of working as a team again, even if it’s just for some stupid game throwing balls at pins.

The chimera grumbles an acceptable response, and Liam grins, ecstatic.

The grin stays in place for about thirty minutes, the first half of the game. He remains in a good mood as the two climb higher and higher on the scoreboard, despite the fact that Liam is absolutely _awful_ at bowling. Tragically, horrifically bad. So bad he’s sure he’s got two left thumbs or feet or _something_ wrong with him.

Theo’s mostly pretty sure it’s because all the bowling talent went to his sister before he was born. Lyana has more hand-eye coordination in her pinky than Liam does in his whole body, which is saying a lot. He’s honestly not even sure how the beta manages to be the star lacrosse player at this point. Not that he’s ever seen a game, so Liam might be a completely different person on the field than he is off it.

The good news? Max is just as bad as Liam.

The bad news? It means that the end of the game turns into an all out battle between Theo and Lyana, who he refuses to lose to. He doesn’t know what it is about her that pisses him off, but one little smirk when she gets her third consecutive strike sets his blood boiling. He takes Liam’s turn and then his own, scoring strikes for them both.

The rest of the group just throw directly into the gutter, skipping their turns and allowing Lyana to step up to the plate next. She asks Max for his turn and he happily obliges, taking a seat next to a scowling Liam.

They never really do get an answer to their question of dogs vs cats.

* * *

Laser tag turns out to be _just_ as awful as Theo expects it to be. Worse, even.

Over the years, he seems to have forgotten how dark it is during the game. That the only light comes from small red LEDs that line the floors, and from the guns and chest pieces themselves. He’d only been once or twice with Scott and Stiles, back when they were kids.

But he hadn’t been afraid of the dark, then.

Afraid of the shadows the environment casts around him, no matter how good his vision is now, yellow eyes or not. Afraid of the shuffling of feet and quiet, huffed breaths his heightened hearing picks up, even though he knows it’s just the rest of his friends, sneaking around. Afraid of the pressure on his chest, on his rib-cage, despite being able to feel the pack sitting solidly on his shoulders.

_Theo…_

The hair on the back of his neck rises. His breathing is labored, shaky, and there’s sweat pooling in his palms. It makes the gun slippery when he hugs it tighter against himself. He can feel his anxiety crawling beneath his skin, worming it’s way up from his beating heart.

_Theooo…_

He knows what this is.

He knows the mounting signs of a panic attack when he feels it. A living, breathing nightmare of his own making. The next step will be his brain tricking his eyes into seeing it, too. Into seeing her. And he doesn’t want that. Not here.

He screws his eyes shut, trying to steady his breathing. He tucks himself into a little nook at the end of the hallway he’s in. “It’s not real,” he whispers to himself, trying very hard to believe it.

He’s been so careful, of late. Parking his truck in brightly lit areas. Avoiding sneaking into the drive-in to watch a movie when it’s horror night. Working his way through novels pilfered or borrowed from Liam’s collection of historical non-fiction before he falls asleep, trying to give his brain something else to think about.

Walking head first into a nearly pitch-black obstacle course with his friends scattered about? This was the opposite of careful, Theo realizes.

It was stupid.

But Liam had been so excited for it, especially in contrast to how poorly his mood had been when they’d left bowling, still tied with Lyana’s team. The beta had declared that tomorrow would be better, that laser tag had always been his favourite as a kid, and that his sister had always been bad at it. Theo hadn’t had the heart to decline the invitation.

Hadn’t dared tell him why his hands had started trembling the moment the door had closed behind them and locked them into the course. And he knows Liam noticed.

_Theoooooo._

He can hear slow, careful footsteps approaching, from just around the corner. An excited, thundering heartbeat.

“She’s not real,” he hisses. His mind is tunneling now, twisting the shadows on the walls into shapes, like dark, open doorways with empty slots for folders beside them. The overhang from the walkway above him becomes an exit sign, flickering in the dim light of the forgotten hospital. The footsteps come closer, sounding wet, like damp skin on cold, tiled floor.

Like someone freshly risen from a river.

“Go away, Tara,” he pleads quietly.

The groan of metal, somewhere down the hallway. The door to the morgue opening for him for the thousandth time. The flash of brown hair and pale skin shambling around the corner.

_Theo!_

_“Go away!”_ he roars, springing into action. He knocks something from her hands, throwing all his weight behind his gun as he slams it against her chest. It backs her up to the wall, and she crashes into it, crying out. He hears a loud crack, like bone breaking. For once, it’s not the bones in his rib-cage as she tears into it for his heart— _her_ heart.

Theo snarls, his eyes flashing a bright, molten gold.

The rest of the hospital hallway lights up, dim and dirty. Flickering. He can smell blood. He can always smell blood. Sometimes it’s his, sometimes it’s hers. Sometimes it’s even Gabe’s, that idiot hunter who’s pain he’d taken as he died. The one who’s grief and guilt he still feels most days, right alongside his own.

Tara lets out a small, pained noise, staring up at him.

“Theo!”

He recognizes Liam’s voice, and the image before him flickers. Tara’s eyes are wide and scared, which isn’t like her. She’s always angry with him, fire burning in the depths of her blue eyes, not fear.

_Blue? Tara has green eyes, like mine._

“Theo, that’s enough!” Liam’s voice is louder, and he feels pressure on his arm. He looks down to see the beta’s hand wrapped around his bicep, claws digging into the skin through his shirt. He doesn’t really feel it, but it draws him out of it enough that the hospital walls vanish, the shadows twisting back into the shapes of the laser tag course. “Calm down. You’re okay.”

He drags his gaze back to source of the voice, the person he’s got pressed up against the wall, and he realizes it’s not Tara after all. It’s not even a girl.

“Theo?” Liam asks, voice nearly deep enough for a growl. His other hand is curled tightly around the end of the gun pressed against his chest, his fingertips trembling. The beta’s heart is beating terribly fast, his breathing a little labored.

“Fuck,” the chimera hisses, stepping back. He drops his laser gun like it’s made of hot coals, and shakes the feeling of it from his fingers. His pulse is pounding in his ears, his anxiety mounting for an entirely different reason. “Liam, I—”

Shame. Guilt. He can smell it in the air, rolling in waves off of him.

“I—I’m so sorry,” Theo stammers, running a hand through his messy locks. He really needs a fucking haircut.

“It’s okay,” Liam chuckles, rubbing absently at the middle of his chest. “I’m fine, dude.”

But Theo can tell from the way his face twists that he’s in pain. And Theo caused it.

He wants to throw up.

“I’m so sorry,” he says again, and he sounds downright _miserable._

“We’re fine!” Liam calls, and Theo glances down the hallway to see some of the others. Nolan looks spooked, and Mason’s concern is evident, but Lyana looks downright furious. The beta raises an arm, waving them away. “Just ran into each other a little roughly, need a breather.”

Nolan nods and disappears around the corner, quick and quiet as a mouse. Mason looks less convinced, but gives them a thumbs up and takes Liam’s unspoken direction to leave them be. Lyana lingers, her eyes flickering back and forth between them.

“Lya, it’s fine,” Liam assures her, offering her a bright smile. Theo looks down at his feet, and waits until he hears her shuffle away before he takes a breath. She’s going to claw his eyes out after this, he’s sure.

“Fuck.”

“Hey,” Liam says, stepping closer to him. Theo flinches back, and the beta’s forehead creases into a frown. “It’s _alright_ , Theo.”

“I hurt you,” he whispers, his voice cracking. He looks up at Liam from beneath his lashes.

“And I’ll heal,” Liam tells him, and this time, when he takes a step forward, the chimera doesn’t move away. He reaches out, fingers curling around Theo’s forearm and digging in, this time without nails. It offers him a grounding force, something that secures him in the moment. “Accidents happen, okay?”

Theo swallows thickly. “It wasn’t an accident, I—”

His mouth clamps shut, fear gnawing at his insides. Several lies claw their way up his throat, begging for release. He thinks for a moment that they’re easier than the truth that haunts him, every day.

_You’re my friend, Theo. And you’re my pack._

He can see it in Liam’s eyes, the kindness and patience, barely visible in the low light now that he’s blinked away the golden hue. His heart’s pounding in his ears, pumping nerves through his bloodstream. It’s difficult, but Theo still manages to force the words out, thick as lead on his tongue. “I saw my sister.”

Liam’s eyes widen, but only slightly. Like he’s not surprised by the cause of the chimera’s outburst, but maybe that he’s shared it with him. That he’s being this open and honest about it, after weeks of silence. The beta gives his arm a squeeze. “Do you… see her often?”

“Only on days ending in y,” Theo breathes, and the truth shudders out of him, water bursting from a dam deep inside. “In my nightmares, mostly. But sometimes in the dark, too.”

“I’m sorry,” the other boy whispers. Theo blinks, his turn to be surprised. “I asked you to come here, but I didn’t realize…”

“How could you?” His snort is self-deprecating and hollow. “It’s not like I’ve said anything about it. Besides, I’m pretty hard to scare, remember?”

Liam winces. His teeth peek out, chewing down on his bottom lip. He looks like he wants to ask more of Theo, while he has a window of opportunity. While the chimera’s willing to be more honest about his personal issues than he ever has been, with anyone.

Theo watches the moment pass and fade from Liam’s eyes, before the beta’s lips purse and he sighs. He blinks up at Theo with big, baby blues. “Hey, you wanna get out of here?” The chimera raises one brow, and he sees the tips of Liam’s ears turn pink. “Pizza and a movie?”

“What about them?” Theo throws a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction the rest of the pack and pride had disappeared. He can hear them in the distance, shooting and shit-talking one another.

Liam shrugs. “Mom’ll order extra. They can catch up when we’re done. Movie marathons totally still count as team bonding.”

It brings the barest of smiles to Theo’s lips. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhh sorry not sorry, idk where the angst came from. but at least it's not ending on a cliffhanger for once?
> 
> also bowling > laser tag am I right??


	6. this is halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack and pride kids prepare for a Halloween party, but there's something wrong with Theo. Something drawing him to the depths of the forest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, folks! >:) 
> 
> Shoutout to Adri for the hilarious group costume idea for the boys.

Theo feels… itchy. It’s the best word he has to describe the unsettling discomfort he has nearly everywhere. And it’s not even a costume thing, either. He’s in his own jeans and grey shirt, and the windbreaker he’s got on over top is something decent Liam picked up at the thrift store. It looks older, from the 80s, which he supposes is the point.

He doesn’t even mind that he has to carry around a baseball bat full of nails (which he’d actually enjoyed making the other night, when he’d been angry), or that he has to gel up his locks into a fluffy tower on his head.

No, it’s something else. Something that follows him from the parking lot at the auto shop, where he’d changed, all the way to Liam’s house. Something that crawls beneath his skin and worms its way into the middle of his chest with every monster child or zombie teenager he sees, already out on the street in costume.

He’s pretty sure he should’ve taken Liam’s offer to come over before dinner to get ready. Maybe food would’ve settled his stomach, which feels like it’s filled with acid, and not the usual kind. Or, maybe, it’s because he could’ve avoided driving over in the dark, seeing shadows and twisted figures and girls in long, bloody dresses with dirt in their hair on every street corner.

Theo’s also pretty sure he hates Halloween.

He didn’t used to, as a kid. He loved dressing up, pretending to be someone else for a night. Someone fantastic, someone better than him. Especially when he, Scott and Stiles had matching costumes, or when Tara tagged along too. All four of them had gone as the Ninja Turtles one year, despite how hard Stiles had lobbied for her to be the April to his Donatello.

Now that he’s older, well, pretending to be someone else still holds the same appeal, given who Theo is. Maybe even more. But the rest of the world has shifted and changed in a way that he doesn’t like. Sure, there’s still plenty of Disney or cartoon characters and superheroes on the street out there… but there’s many more zombies and disfigured, deadly monsters than ever before. After all, horror’s such a huge genre now.

And while it seems a little silly that it makes Theo uncomfortable, given _he’s_ a deadly monster in his own right… it still unnerves him. Still makes him breathe a sigh of relief when he pulls up to the curb outside the Geyer-Dunbar residence, one that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

He kills the engine, and looks towards the house, focusing his hearing in the now quiet truck. He picks up on four heartbeats. Two in the living room, and two upstairs. David and Jenna’s cars are in the driveway, but he doesn’t see Mason’s anywhere in the vicinity, and he was pretty sure he was bringing the rest of the pack.

Which probably means he’s going to have to contend with Liam’s sister.

It’s not that he dislikes her, really. And it’s not like he really distrusts her anymore, either. They’ve come to an understanding in the week they’ve known one another, mostly spawned by what happened with Liam at laser tag. He’d known she was angry the moment it had happened, and especially so when the rest of the group had come to the house later for pizza and a movie, and she’d spent the whole time glaring daggers at him.

She hadn’t said a word, however, perfectly content to let him stew, uncomfortably aware of her eyes on him.

And then, on Wednesday, she’d shown up at his work. With a dangerous look in her eyes and purpose in her step. She’d cornered him and demanded to know what had happened the night before, in the laser course. What he’d done that and put her brother in danger.

And it had been the urgency in her tone, the little crack in her voice that lent itself to genuine worry that had convinced him to tell her. That and the claws at his throat.

It had been like looking in a mirror, for Theo. Like seeing his frantic, hurried race to Liam’s that day after seeing the werecats at the grocery store, and the panic he’d felt smelling one of them in the house, in Liam’s room. The same fear that had caused Theo to find himself at _her_ throat barely a few days ago. It was his own ever-present and frustrating worry for the beta’s safety reflected back at him in green eyes not unlike his own.

Lyana cared about her brother, that much was clear. She cared about his safety and his well being and knew that something had happened that had briefly compromised it. Something that Theo was still angry with himself for, even now.

So he’d explained, carefully, slowly. With as few details as possible, the coyote in his veins howling for him to stop spilling their secrets to her. Theo told her that he had panic attacks, and nightmares, brought on by the trauma of his past. That Liam had been helping him work through them, sometimes whether he knew it or not, since he’d pulled him out of the ground seven months ago.

And he’d assured her that he’d rather die, _again_ , than let those nightmares hurt Liam. The boy who’d been kind to him, and offered his friendship and family and _pack_ when Theo didn’t deserve it.

Maybe it had been the word choice. Maybe it had been his tone of voice. Or maybe Lyana had seen something in his eyes that was familiar, too.

Either way, she’d smiled and helped him up off the shop floor, dusted herself off and offered him her hand. “You’re not as bad as I thought, _Theodore_. Maybe we can be friends after all.”

He’d scowled as he shook her hand and told her not to call him that. But it seemed her mind was made up, and that with this new understanding she’d slipped straight from antagonistic to annoying. Something that was _also_ familiar to Theo, but usually he directed it at her brother.

“And if we’re friends,” she’d continued with a wink, “then I’m more than happy to put in a good word with my brother about your little crush.”

Panic had flared in his chest, and he’d scrambled to deny it, snarling. “I don’t have a—”

“Have a good day!”

She’d slipped between his fingers as though she’d never been there, and Theo had watched her disappear from his workplace with nothing more than a jubilant wave and a triumphant laugh that echoed off the shop walls. He’d been glad it was early and no one else had been in yet.

And now he was going to have spend Halloween with her and the rest of her annoying pride. Well, the pink one and the quiet one, anyway.

Theo stares at the house and groans. “Itchy and uncomfortable it is,” he sighs, hopping out of the truck.

He props the bat over his shoulder and trudges up the walkway to the front porch. His sour grumbling almost masks the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs inside, until he raises his hand to knock and the door simply swings open to reveal a grinning Liam.

His hair is curly, sitting beneath a blue and white trucker hat. _Curly._ Enough so that Theo almost asks if he’s wearing a wig. The beta is dressed in beige khakis, a bright teal shirt that pulls tightly across his chest (probably Mason’s) and a _very_ familiar jean jacket. One that has been missing from Theo’s truck for two weeks now. When you have so few articles of clothing, you tend to keep a close eye.

Apparently not close enough.

Theo’s eyes narrow. “Is that my jacket?”

Liam turns instantly red. “Uh—this old thing? I don’t—uh, I don’t think so!”

And he turns away and into the house, looking anywhere but at the chimera. If his frantic heartbeat didn’t give him away, surely his liberal use of the word _uh_ would. Theo drifts into the house on a light chuckle, following Liam as his lips curve upwards. The boy’s a terrible liar.

“I don’t mind if it is,” Theo smirks, closing the door behind him. He props the bat against the wall by the front hall table, careful not to scrape it against the paint. “I just didn’t take you for a thief, Dunbar.”

Liam softens slightly. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly.  His head is tucked, shoulders guilty and embarrassed, and Theo feels something flare in his gut looking at him. “You were getting gas the other night, and I saw it in the back seat. It was perfect for my costume, so— _ImsorrycanIborrowit?”_

Theo’s laugh surprises him, warm and loud. “Yeah, sure. Next time just ask before borrowing my clothes, okay?”

 _Next time?_ He almost winces. _What universe do you live in that you’d think he’d be sharing clothes with you?_

Liam brightens almost blindly, nodding. “Yeah, of course!” He sounds relieved, like he’d been expecting Theo to get mad at him. Or worse.

The thought strikes a painful chord in the chimera’s chest, something that feels physical. He feels his wolf react to it with restless guilt, and Theo rubs a thumb over his sternum in an attempt to soothe it. The move makes Liam frown.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Theo nods, pulling at the collar of his shirt, which is tighter than he normally wears it. He knew sharing that dryer at the laundromat had been a bad idea. How much did that girl shrink his clothes? It gives him a good opportunity to deflect, and not with a lie. He’s trying to do better with that. “Just stuffy. Also sort of itchy. You sure I can’t wear one of my own jackets?”

Liam snickers. “Nah, Steve owns like three of these, I’m pretty sure.” He flicks the small flap at the collar of Theo’s jacket.

“Ugh,” the chimera groans. “Isn’t he some sort of douchebag? What kind of bad boy doesn’t wear leather jackets?”

“You’d know if you _watched_ it with me, but...The kind that gets nicer with time,” Liam whispers, so low that Theo would certainly have missed it without his hearing. The words are spoken with meaning, and in the depths of Liam’s eyes, he sees uncertainty. Purpose. He looks _shy_.

With his heart sitting squarely in his stomach, Theo clears his throat. Deflects. “Well, his fashion sense certainly doesn’t.”

He sees Liam’s shoulders tense, watches the beta’s eyes give him a once-over, then lift to meet his as he inhales deeply, almost preparing himself. He opens his mouth, but the words don’t make it out before there’s a creak on the stairs, and the moment shatters.

“I think you look great,” a female voice chimes in, sounding amused. Theo glances towards the stairs to see Lyana at the top of it, smiling. It means he misses the look on Liam’s face.

He certainly hears the soft growl, though.

The beta’s sister is dressed in all black, wearing a skin-tight suit and the leather jacket he hasn’t yet seen her take off. She _clack, clack, clacks_ down the stairs in black high-heel boots, and tilts her head at him when she reaches the bottom.

There’s cat ears poking up out of her hair, which is pin straight tonight, and makeup accenting the green and gold of her eyes.

“A cat?” Theo asks drily, one brow raised. He can’t even feel surprised. “Real original.”

“And comfortable,” Lyana practically purrs, and he feels a sudden brush of something soft and furry against one hand. He nearly jumps out of his skin, glancing down to see her tail retreat behind her back, mischievous smile stretching across her lips.

“Lyana!” Liam hisses, eyes flickering nervously between her face and the very obvious tail curled up behind her back. “You can’t _seriously_ be planning on taking that with us?!”

She laughs. “Taking it with? Liam, it’s _attached_ to me.”

“Shift and put it away then!” He waves his hands frantically at her, and Theo tries very to stifle a laugh by biting at his bottom lip. “What if someone sees?”

“They’ll just think it’s a really good animatronic or something,” Theo points out, and Liam throws him a scowl. “Besides, most of Beacon Hills is cool with us now. Relax, Liam.”

“Aye, Li,” Lyana says, fluffing her younger brother’s hair as she slinks past, headed for the living room with a wave. “ _Relax_.”

“I liked it better when you hated each other,” Liam says, eyes pointed at the ceiling and shoulders slumped. “This is awful.”

The chimera snorts, dropping his voice. “How come _she_ gets to avoid the group costume?”

He knows she’s only just gotten here, and that Mason, Corey and Liam have had this stupid get up picked out for weeks, but he feels as though it wouldn’t have been difficult to find something for her to wear that was in-character. Especially given how popular the cult show seems to be.

Liam’s face shifts from a glare to more of a glower, and he crosses his arms with a huff. “She didn’t want to be Eleven. Said pink wasn’t her colour.”

“I offered to be Nancy, though!” She calls from the other room, and Liam growls softly again. He seems to keep forgetting she has sensitive ears, too.

“No fucking thanks,” the werewolf mutters, and Theo blinks at him, confused by his suddenly sour mood. He watches him stalk off in search of her, pondering the cause. Was it something he said, or did? And which one was Nancy? Liam and Mason had only shown him a group shot with the kids, and a separate picture of Steve for his reference.

Slowly, Theo follows.

Jenna and David are curled up on the couch together, a bowl of popcorn tucked between them. Luckily, the Doctor had somehow managed to get the evening off, meaning that they could enjoy a quiet night giving out candy and watching scary movies together. Lyana’s perched on the arm of the couch, swiping popcorn with her eyes trained to the screen as a woman in a 1960’s hairdo and dress descends the stairs to find a little girl kneeling before the body of a man.

And the little girl has his heart in her hands, munching away.

The woman sobs, and Theo feels bile in his throat. The pause screen comes up, displaying the words _Night of the Living Dead_ and Theo tears his eyes away to see that the whole Geyer-Dunbar clan is looking at him.

David and his step-daughter look almost sympathetic, and Theo wonders if his nausea is clearly written on his face. Liam takes a step closer to him, not saying a word. Jenna, meanwhile, wears a bright, warm smile. She’s got the remote in one hand, a glass of wine in the other. “Theo! You look wonderful, honey.”

His cheeks burn, and he dips his head politely. “Thanks, Mrs. Geyer.”

He hears her little patient sigh. “You know it’s just Jenna.” She tilts her head, tone gentle. “You excited for the party?”

A stereotypical high school party. His first, really. In all his years of pretending, he’s never had to step foot in one to get what he or the Dread Doctors wanted. Mason says it’s a staple, something he should experience on the pack’s quest to make him a _real boy_ again. Whatever that means.

All Theo knows is that he has mixed feelings. He doesn’t really like… people. Especially annoying, drunk human ones. His short fuse really isn’t built for it. And besides, it’s not like he’s actually been invited, technically.

The group of them—Mason, Corey, Nolan and Liam—are this girl’s classmates and friends. It’s her Halloween party, and the rest of them are more or less plus ones. A fact which he tries not to dwell on. Instead, he thinks about how on some level, he’s grateful to this girl he’s never met.

Gwen, if Theo remembers correctly. The girl who’s disappearance at the hands of the Ghost Riders had triggered so many more, and caused Liam’s desperate bid for help that had raised him from the ground. From Hell and his sister’s vengeful clutches.

He offers Jenna a half smile and a shrug. “It might be fun.”

Her answering smile is knowing. “Well, if you haven’t had dinner yet, there’s some casserole in the kitchen! You three should eat before you go. I’m sure there’ll be booze, and no kid of mine gets to be a lightweight.”

The implication sits tightly in his chest, pressing against his lungs and making it hard to breathe for a moment. He’s sure it’s just a slip, or maybe he’s misinterpreting her words, but the inclusion still hit him like a ton of bricks. Theo coughs, trying on a nervous laugh to mask it.

Thankfully, the doorbell rings, saving him from mustering up some sort of answer. Liam ducks out of the living room to get, and Lyana smiles down at her mother. “Don’t worry, mum. None of _your kids_ can actually get drunk unless someone spikes the punch with wolfsbane. Or is it different for chimeras, Theodore?”

His laugh dies in his throat, sounding more like a strangled noise of surprise. He thumps on his chest, looking up to see mischief glinting in Lyana’s green eyes, playful grin etched across her lips.

“A little,” he says tightly. “We might feel the buzz eventually, but it’d take time. Even with wolfsbane.”

She raises a row, impressed. Then the look fades, and she’s back to smiling down at her mother, voice tinged with sweet reassurance. “See? We’ll be fine. Only Mason and the little awkward one—what’s his name?”

Theo sees her hand in the air, as if waiting for a response, despite having her back turned to him. “Nolan,” he offers.

She snaps her fingers, and her tail flicks back and forth, quick and excited. “Right! Only they can get drunk.”

David hums around his mouthful of popcorn, sounding impressed. His head tilts, and he looks like he’s processing the new information methodically, or maybe medically, as he does every time he learns something new about the pack and their abilities. As a man of medicine, they never cease to amaze him.

Jenna, meanwhile, is all smiles and bright, bubbly laughter. “The joys of having supernatural creatures for children!” She says, lifting her glass of wine. “We never stop learning!”

She hiccups, and both Theo and Lyana smile at her, fondly.

“Oh god,” Liam says, and he chimera half turns to see him standing in the living room doorway, three guests in tow. “Is mom already drunk? It’s like 9 pm.”

“Of course not,” Jenna stands, heading towards her son. She pats Theo on the arm as she passes him. “Just a little tipsy, honey.”

“Mhm.” Liam sounds unimpressed, but the curve of his mouth is fond, too.

“Wonderful, all of you!” Jenna taps Mason, Corey and Nolan each on the head as she slips past, disappearing into the kitchen. “Let me get the camera before you go!”

The first human is dressed in regular jeans and a blue t-shirt, with a red jean jacket on top, his collar lined with fur. He looks like a perfectly normal kid, save for the camo bandana wrapped around his head. Lucas, if Theo remembers right.

Corey has on a garishly ugly beige jacket, a blue striped polo and apparently, it’s a good thing his hair has grown out since the hunter way, too, seeing as how it’s combed over slightly. He thinks the kid’s name was Mike, or maybe Mitch.

Mason beams at him. “Dude! I saw your bat at the front door, you did great!”

The words bring a smirk to the chimera’s lips. “Made for good stress-relief,” he chuckles.

Corey slings an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Guess it’s a good thing you needed a haircut, too. Worked pretty well for Steve’s updo.”

His tone is teasing, so Theo’s eye roll is far friendlier than normal. “Thanks.”

Jenna surfaces then from the kitchen with the polaroid camera she’d gone to fetch, and a plate of finger food. She hands the latter to Mason with a motherly smile, and the boy frowns, but accepts it nonetheless.

And finally, there’s Nolan. Still standing near the front entrance in ratty jeans and a blue plaid shirt. He’s got a bright red vest on overtop that he looks lost in, that makes him look small. Frail and all too human. Theo supposes it’s fitting for the character Liam described. Will, was it?

The chimera wanders over, watching as the boy shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. His hand comes up to brush his bangs away from his face, but he pauses before he gets there, spotting Theo’s eyes on him. He blinks, then drops his hand, cheeks turning pink.

“New haircut?” Theo smirks, and watches as the blush deepens.

“It’s not—” the quiet boy starts, then presses his lips together tightly, frowning. His eyes flicker to Mason and Corey, who are talking animatedly to Jenna. The former spots him, eyes lighting up as he saunters over. “They just styled it like this.”

“Yes,” Mason chimes in, wrapping an arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Which means you’re not allowed to touch it. Even if you don’t like it.”

“It’s a _bowl_ cut,” Nolan whines, features twisting with misery. “I look like a child.”

Liam snorts. “That’s the point, dude.” He knocks their shoulders together. “Besides. You’re the one that didn’t want to be Eleven.”

“You were going to make me wear a bald cap and a dress!” The human cries, blue eyes widening frantically. “I’d have been fine with her season two outfit…”

“Not as iconic,” Mason tells him. He pulls away, clapping his hands together. “Okay! Are we going to do this thing, or what? The party awaits!”

Everyone collectively rolls their eyes in various stages of annoyance or affection. It quickly dissolves into laughter and smiles as they shuffle together in the front hall, and Jenna waves her hand once or twice to scoot them closer. Mason and Corey oblige, basically becoming one person in the center of their little group, with Nolan standing awkwardly to their right. Theo ends up with Liam basically pressed into his side, narrowly avoiding hitting the werewolf with the bottom of the bat he has slung over his shoulder.

“Sorry,” Liam says after knocking into him, but there’s a bright smile on his lips.

“Smile, boys!” And a moment later there’s a bright flash, as well as the click of a phone shutter. Jenna pulls the polaroid camera away, excitedly pulling the photo out of the end and waving it about. She frowns almost instantly. “Oh.”

She looks over to her son, frowning. “You didn’t tell me I couldn’t use the flash.”

“What?” He blinks.

Theo snorts, loudly. “Do you not know?”

“Know what?” Liam looks to him, still puzzled.

“We fuck with flash photography,” Theo says, slipping away from the group and over to Jenna. He offers his hand, and with a defeated sigh, she hands him the polaroid. The werewolf’s eyes are the brightest, while both Theo and Corey’s are muted, but still obviously inhuman. He turns to Liam, holding it up. Theo watches both Nolan and the werewolf squint at it, and a moment later their eyes widen.

“Ohhh…,” Liam says softly. “But I took pictures with Hayden all the time. They were never like that.”

Theo makes a face, and opens his mouth to respond, but Mason beats him to it.

“You were probably too busy sucking face to keep your eyes open, dude,” the human laughs, clapping him on the shoulder. Liam’s cheeks flush, and he ducks his gaze, but there’s a thoughtful smile ghosting across his lips. There’s a slightly nauseous twist in the pit of Theo’s stomach, and he does his best to pretend it’s disgust instead of something greener.

“Barf,” Lyana sighs dramatically, looping an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “It’s okay, mom. Just take it again without the flash.”

She slinks off and flicks on the kitchen light as across the hall, David brightens the living room ones to give them a bit of extra help, and this time, when Jenna shakes the polaroid out, she smiles widely. And then promptly asks for more photos.

Most are of the whole group, but Mason and Corey get one together, as well as with Liam. When it comes to the two siblings, Lyana adds bunny ears to her brother at the last second. He’s scowling and shouting at her when the shutter goes off, making for a silly, heartwarming picture. Jenna smiles fondly at it, and Theo spots tears at the corner of her eyes. It all makes him a little uncomfortable, a sentiment he clearly shares with Nolan, who’s standing close to the door, scuffing his shoe against the entryway carpet and waiting to leave.

He’s about to ask the human if he wants to step outside while the others finish their shoot when Liam tugs at his sleeve. “Hey, Theo?”

He raises a brow at the werewolf.

“Do you want—uh,” Liam starts, letting out a little laugh and cutting himself off. He rubs at the back of his neck, and Theo catches a whiff of nerves. It makes him frown. When the boy opens his mouth again, his voice is quieter, as if he doesn’t want the others to hear. “Mom wants one of us.”

Theo hears the immediate and unmistakable skip of the werewolf’s heartbeat. _A lie._

Surely he must know Theo can tell it’s one, so why did he bother? Why not just say _he_ clearly wants a picture of them? He blinks, brows furrowing into a frown.

There’s a dusting of pink on Liam’s cheeks, marking his embarrassment. “It’s a season two thing. They work together a lot.” Not a lie, at least.

“Sure,” Theo shrugs, trying not to make a big deal of it. But he can hear the slightly quickened pulse that fills him with a strange, light feeling in his own chest. He sidles up next to Liam, stepping between the small front hall table and the werewolf. There’s an awkward aura to them both, a nervous buzz that’s almost palpable. Theo’s pretty sure they stood closer together in the group photo.

“This is the most uncomfortable photo I’ve ever seen,” Lyana giggles, leaning over her mother’s shoulder as the shutter snaps. She waggles her brows at them. “C’mon, guys, loosen up a little! Aren’t you two supposed to be partners in crime?”

Theo frowns, looking between the two Dunbar siblings. “In the show, or real life?”

“Both,” Lyana snorts.

“They’re like, detectives,” Liam clarifies, balancing on his heels. “They fight monsters, keep the rest of these idiots in check.”

“Yeah,” Mason nods, shit-eating grin firmly in place. “And Steve even drives him to the dance and gives him _great_ life advice about girls.”

Theo’s rolls his eyes. “So I’m your babysitter?”

He feels better instantly as Liam huffs, crossing his arms. “No.”

“Kidding, kidding,” Theo snickers, wrapping an arm around the werewolf. His shoulders shake in a laugh as Liam looks up at him, grumpy face softening and blue eyes bright, shy. When the camera shutter clicks this time, Theo doesn’t even hear it.

* * *

Jenna only asks them for a handful more photos before she lets them go, and by the time the group of them make it outside, most of the trick or treaters have gone. All that’s left after that are older teens and stragglers, and it settles Theo’s nerves somewhat.

That, and walking alongside the group. Most of them are loud, talking animatedly amongst themselves, especially now that Catriona and Max have joined them. Both are dressed as cats, like Lyana, and the dark-skinned girl grins at Theo when he comments that going as themselves really isn’t original.

“We’re Josie and the Pussycats,” she winks, absently playing with a streak of pink hair as she struts down the sidewalk ahead of him. The majority of it is up in some complicated mess of curls, keeping her slender neck and cat ears on display. “Duh.”

The noise distracts him from his surroundings, somewhat. Enough so that he’s not looking at every face, every costumed teen that passes by for some sign of her. Some signal that a kid in bloody clothes or zombie makeup is about to trigger another of Theo’s walking nightmares.

After all, there are far more people here that would be at risk, and a good portion wouldn’t heal as quickly as Liam did if Theo were to accidentally break a bone or two. Plus, after the hunter war… well, it’s probably better that they’re all on their best behavior in public.

And it appears they’re busy debating if they have time to chance it or not.

“We can be a little late to Gwen’s,” Liam’s saying, waving off the concerns his best friend is voicing. “Y’know, fashionably late.”

“You’ve never been fashionable in your life,” Mason mutters, and Lyana snorts, loudly.

“It’s alright, Mason,” Liam says, tone now dramatically overdrawn. “I understand if you’re too chicken to—”

“I am not!” The human shouts loudly. He sprints over, grabbing Corey’s hand and dragging him towards the path. “See how not chicken I am? I’m going first. That’s like… the least chicken thing you can do.”

“Mhmm,” Liam grins, beyond pleased.

Slowly, the rest of the group follow suit, until only the beta and his sister remain on this side of the gate. Lyana starts after her friends just as Liam looks back at him.

Theo doesn’t move a muscle.

“You guys have fun with that,” he says, loud enough that the others just barely catch it. He watches them pause, and the group turns back to him.

Liam’s frowning. “Aren’t you coming with?”

He looks past them, towards the house. He can hear it creaking in the wind, and sees the shuttered windows and peeling paint. He knows what horrors a haunted house contains, even if it’s not real, just a gimmick set up by someone who enjoys the holiday a little too much.

The entire place looks like value menu of potential triggers for his nightmares.

“Think I’m gonna sit this one out,” Theo says, smiling thinly. “You kids have fun.”

“Is the big bad wolf _afraid_?” Catriona’s voice is sickly sweet and teasing. She’s leaned against Max’s shoulder, twirling a streak of pink again. “I thought you were hard to scare, big boy?”

“I am,” he huffs, barest hint of a growl creeping into his words.

Liam reacts instantly, pulling away from the group and stepping closer to him. His fingers brush against Theo’s wrist. “Hey, it’s okay,” he whispers, and slowly, Theo’s gaze slides to meet his. “You know nothing in there’s gonna be real, right? Probably just some jackasses in cloaks and maybe an animatronic or two.”

“I know,” Theo’s nod is tight. “I’m still not going.”

“Theo, it’s okay.” Liam’s voice is calm, reassuring. “We’ll all stick together.”

“Great,” he mutters, voice low. “Much closer targets when we turn down a random hallway and see my sister instead of one of you. How about I skewer a human this time instead of you?”

The mere thought of having a panic attack in a dark, cramped hallway full of his friends makes his skin crawl. Fills the pit of his stomach with acid so potent he feels nauseous.

“Theo!” Liam hisses, stepping closer. “It won’t come to that, I promise. I’ll keep you grounded.”

He feels the fingers whispering against his skin tighten, applying pressure to his pulse point. All it does is make the fingers of his opposite hand shake, and Theo wrenches his hand from Liam’s grip. “It doesn’t work like that. You can’t stop—she doesn’t just—”

He forces himself to breathe out, through his nose, trying to push down the growl threatening to rumble out of his chest. The beasts within are unruly, hackles raised and raring for a fight, but Theo doesn’t want that. Over Liam’s head, he sees Lyana step back through the gate. Even she looks worried, and maybe not just about her brother this time.

He inhales sharply, and pushes the bat he’s been carrying into the beta’s hands. “It’s fine, Liam. I’ll just meet you guys at the party, okay?”

“Theo…” The werewolf sounds disappointed, but Theo doesn’t care.

Everything is pressing too heavily on his chest. He can barely breathe, which means he needs to get out of here, _now_.

“I said it’s _fine_ , Liam!” He shouts into the night air, and doesn’t look back. He can feel their eyes, staring him down as he stalks off down the street, their questions burning into his skin through his clothes. He hates it.

Hates that he has a weakness so easy to exploit. Especially this time of year.

Hates that he’s let it get the better of him not once, but twice this week. In front of all those people.

Some that are pack, yes. But the others…

He shudders just thinking about it. He wonders if Catriona will tell her mother what a danger he is. What a pitiful excuse for a second in command he makes. He wonders if Douche Glasses and the enforcer, the one built like a brick wall—McKenna, his mind helpfully supplies, will laugh the next time they see him.

If the roles were reversed, he knows he certainly would. He’d be the first to prey on a weakness like that. He’s certainly done it plenty of times in the past.

He wonders if that’s why he’s so easily affected now. If maybe years of tormenting other people has made him hollow, with hundreds of little, tiny fractures in his soul. Maybe that’s what Tara slithered into while he was in Hell, how the thing that wore her face and haunted his every step down there caught a ride back out of the ground with him. And that’s where it remains, waiting insidiously for it’s next opportunity to make him suffer.

As if on cue, his nose picks up a scent. A familiar one, though he hasn’t really smelled it in years. In his nightmares, only blood and fear have any sort of scent to them. Never people, or places, or things.

But this… this seems different.

Different enough that Theo finds himself following it, nose twitching.

He stumbles off the sidewalk, headed for a winding trail through a dimly lit park. He passes a creaking swing set, and two teens sitting at the top of a children’s slide, smoking a joint. He gives them a wide berth as he follows the scent, trying to avoid picking up on it instead.

The park eventually bleeds into thicker trees at the back, the cement path giving away to a dirt one, and then nothing more than leaves and twigs and forest. Big, dark and mean. Endless in every direction, the suburbs behind him swallowed up quickly and quietly.

Theo knows he’s in the preserve, now. Or at least in the outskirts of it.

But he’s spent more than enough time in these woods since his return to Beacon Hills—fuck, since his trip to Hell, really—that it doesn’t bother him. Even late at night, the place never really scares him. After all, there’s no monsters out here that’ll come near a monster like him anyway. And if they did, it’s nothing he can’t handle.

He’s familiar enough with the preserve that he really ought to know where he’s going before he gets there. Or maybe, he should’ve expected it, given what scent he’s trailing.

But Theo doesn’t realize where he’s going until it’s too late.

Until his ears pick up the sound of smooth water, running over rocks not too far from him. Until a little wooden bridge comes into view, through the trees to his right. Until the earth at his feet hums with the deep, magical call of the Nemeton, far closer than he’d like.

Until he sees a figure, stumbling through the trees.

Everything quiets in an instant. The water, the birds in the forest around him, even his own heartbeat. He can still feel it, thundering in his chest, so he knows it’s still working, but he’s completely deaf to it. He can’t hear anything other than the shuffling of feet, and the breath in his heaving lungs. Quick and short, like every nightmare he’s ever had.

Because he certainly feels like he’s in one, staring slack-jawed at the girl stepping through the underbrush. Only, she doesn’t seem to notice him. She isn’t even headed in his direction, and if he held his breath and didn’t speak a word, she honestly might go right by him, without ever seeing him.

Her hair is matted, and laden with dirt, just like her clothes. All of which look far too small on her, tight in places they shouldn’t be and torn at one shoulder. He can see her ankles and bare feet far beneath the hem of her pants. And her lips are just as purple as the day he laid her to rest.

This looks far more like the version of his sister from all those years ago than the nightmare version in his head. And this one _smells_ like her. The real her.

There’s absolutely no mistaking her.

“Tara?” Theo whispers breathlessly. This can’t be happening. “Are you… _real_?”

His voice startles her. She snaps from her daze and her eyes flicker to him. The bitter scent of fear strikes his nose. His hands come up instantly at his sides, palms flat. Nonthreatening. Her mouth moves, as though she’s trying to speak, but no sound comes out.

“Tara,” he says again, this time a little louder. Her name sounds brittle on his tongue, fragile. He hasn’t spoken it out loud in so long, only in his own head. And it’s never this soft, there, always laden with guilt, pleading.

Her brows dip into a frown as she considers him. She blinks, repeatedly, staring at his face. He feels a little like she’s staring _through_ him, and his skin itches the longer she just _looks_. She still hasn’t spoken, and he’s still not sure if this is all in his head or not.

And then, her eyes widen, and he watches the recognition flare to life.

Slowly, almost painfully so, he sees the whites of her eyes expand, and her lips part. She takes two very tentative, unsteady steps towards him, bringing her close enough that he can clearly see the green of her eyes. The ones that match his. Her breathing is shaky, and her lower lip is trembling. As is the hand she raises, little by little, towards his face. Theo fights the urge to flinch with every fiber of his being. This isn’t a nightmare. It can’t be.

“Teddy?” She says, voice cracking.

His only answer is a guttural noise somewhere between a sob and a whine.

He leans into her touch, and the tears are nearly instant. She feels warm. She feels _alive_ and _real_ and her hand presses gently against his cheek. This is the cruelest trick his mind has ever played, because in every nightmare he’s ever had of Tara, she’s been cold and vicious and uncaring. The way he was, back then.

“I don’t understand,” he croaks. His voice is failing him, too.

He thinks she calls his name again, but all he can focus on is a heartbeat. _Her_ heartbeat, inside her own chest. She never has that in his nightmares. She’s never warm, never soft and gentle with him the way she is now as she brushes a tear from his cheek, and Theo realizes he’s crying. Sobbing, in fact.

“Tara,” he says, and then his knees give out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:)


End file.
